What were your best & worst Fish Extender Gifts

[Elandon]

Hi, friends! We are headed out in our first Disney Cruise ever in August and we so excited that we joined a fish extenders group organized on another social media site

Now, what do we bring?

What were your favorite and least favorite fish extenders gifts?

TIA

Emily

 

[MelSpees]

We enjoyed receiving and still enjoy using a "Yacht-Sea" game that we got. It's very small and easy to toss in our luggage. We also liked some Australian cookies we got and other regional goodies. We got a small journaling book that someone put a put of time into. We felt bad about it, but left it behind as it was something we just don't use. I imagine other people really liked it though.

 

[Pandy220]

Target has a ton of new and affordable Disney merch. Some things that I saw that were useful and that I’d appreciate receiving are hand sanitizer, Mickey hair ties, pocket tissues, reusable bags

 

[GPaLarry]

I don't participate in FE, but I take along some random stuff to put in existing FE pouches...temp. tattoos (Pirate Night) and glow in the dark bracelets/sticks from the Dollar Store. This might confuse those receiving these items, however, I figure I'm a tad too old to be a pixie so I borrow her dust from time to time.

 

[serenitynow]

Worst FE gifts, we once got a really cheap looking package of glow in the dark condoms with a pirate sticker on one side of the package. It was kinda creepy and yes, we threw them away.

 

[MomOTwins]

We've only done this once, and we asked for gifts only for our children so I don't have adults ideas. But in general:

Best gifts

• Coloring and sticker books, or small paperback picture books that kept the kiddos entertained at dinner;
• Small dollar store type toys (e.g., the "surprise" kind where it is a little pouch with a small cheap toy inside--in our case star wars);
• Character-themed bubble wands;
• Disney themed magnets / picture frames / other cruise memento items.

Worst gifts

• Anything bulky - we had limited packing space, and just couldn't fit the large water bottles and a few other large things;
• Candy - this a popular one, but it is TOO popular, and probably about 80% of the FE gifts we had were candy. As a parent it is a bit exhausting to have to tell the kids over and over that they already had enough candy for one day, only to have another new batch appear in the FE. Plus, it is worth remembering that diabetes, allergies, and other dietary restrictions could result in some kids being unable to consume edible FE gifts (doesn't affect us, but I know for that reason our school prohibits treat sharing on birthdays, and I think it is a good policy so no kids feel left out).

 

[MomOTwins]

Worst FE gifts, we once got a really cheap looking package of glow in the dark condoms with a pirate sticker on one side of the package. It was kinda creepy and yes, we threw them away.

EWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I prefer to believe that someone forgot to use their reading glasses and thought they were pirate balloons. Not likely, but it is just too gross to think about otherwise.

 

[Draes Miran]

Is it common for adults to participate? I kind of like the 'random acts of pixie dust' idea!

 

[Pandy220]

Is it common for adults to participate? I kind of like the 'random acts of pixie dust' idea!

DH and I participate and we don’t have kids . I always get excited about the idea but when it comes time to figure out what to give , i get so stressed out! I like giving practical and useful gifts and that can be difficult with several different age groups . It doesn’t help either that I decided to do the FE on our 2 cruises where we had to fly out of state/country , so having to lug everything was a little difficult .

But in the end, I’m the type that loves giving more than receiving , whether I sign up for an FE group or pixie dust, I still really enjoy it .

 

[Deb T.]

Is it common for adults to participate? I kind of like the 'random acts of pixie dust' idea!

Yes it is! It's so much fun returning to our cabin and finding surprises in our FE!!!

Best gift: Glow Sticks because we like to use them as nightlights in the cabin and bathroom.

Worst Gift: Expired candy from a previous holiday.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

OK, I'll join
best gift(s) - so many I'm sure I'll miss one or two - recipes for local (giver's "local") dishes; mini first aid kit; water bottles; handmade christmas ornament using local (giver's "local") wood; mini chapstick; big fridge magnet with pictures of ports of call (for that cruise); various magnets; local candies;

worst - foam craft projects (picture frame with ocean themed objects). Now, if we had young kids it probably would have been fine, but we're just 2 adults.

 

[CanuckOnaBoat]

thanks for posting this. i've really wanted to participate in FE but have been really intimidated about the photos of gifts people post on-line. this time we are going to pixie dust some cabins participating in FE - but i'm nervous about the gifts because they aren't disney or personalized or packaged in fancy ways. I'm getting little things from the country we live in but i'm not sure how well they will be received. i guess i'll know if someone posts about them being the worst gifts!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

thanks for posting this. i've really wanted to participate in FE but have been really intimidated about the photos of gifts people post on-line. this time we are going to pixie dust some cabins participating in FE - but i'm nervous about the gifts because they aren't disney or personalized or packaged in fancy ways. I'm getting little things from the country we live in but i'm not sure how well they will be received. i guess i'll know if someone posts about them being the worst gifts!

I love the local stuff. I'm not really much into the "how much can I spend on gifts to wow everyone" that many fish extender groups do now. Time was it was just a "little" gift exchange for some magical pixie dust.

Postcards of your local historical spots works for me, too.

 

[ktate82]

Some of the best things:
Coasters. We still have them from our first FE and use them at home.
Catch all tray (again, still use them at home)
Door magnets of our favorite characters
Door magnet that was a calendar of ports to visit

Worst:
It's stuff that is obviously a quick grab
"local" rocks (yes...we each got a regular rock from the giver's area)
a binder from dollar tree for the four of us to share
tons of candy (we honestly throw most of this away)

 

[Elandon]

Worst FE gifts, we once got a really cheap looking package of glow in the dark condoms with a pirate sticker on one side of the package. It was kinda creepy and yes, we threw them away.

Oh dear!

 

[CinderellaDreamer]

My favorite thing I got was a hand-made valet tray out of Mickey fabric! Just darling and way more creative than I could ever be! I use my bookmarks all the time. My daughter got a darling Disney-decorated clip board that she takes to school every day. Sorry candy-haters, but my teenage sons loved their candy! Gum especially. We all still have our little flashlights with Disney Cruise on the side. I used one of my hair ties yesterday. The light cards are very helpful. Oh, and a hand-knit Mickey head ornament that I enjoy hanging on my tree every year! So special.

I got items from other countries and just marveled over all of them! Unique and special. Some origami kits from Japan were very cool.

I gave Mickey soap dispensers. We hate using bar soap in the cabin bathrooms (it gets so yucky without a dish to drain it properly). I haven't been able to find it for our next cruise, but I figure a non-themed bottle of soap is welcome also. Maybe a Mickey sticker on them?

I was tickled to receive all of the gifts as I thought it was very nice of someone to have given them to me! We also benefited from a few pixie dusters here and there which was so very kind and thoughtful! Here is a photo of some things we have received.

 

[lspst8]

I love local gifts, sundae kits, hair ties, magnets, and kid activities.

On our last cruise, we did an adult only FE and got some great gifts. One couple was from Japan and gave out snacks from Tokyo Disney! We also got buckeyes from Ohio and Mexican treats from other groups.

 

[TestingH2O]

My current favorite gift is the Disney sleeping mask my daughter got. I threw it in the suitcase at the last minute and it definitely helped her sleep on our overnight flight yesterday.

 

[Chirple]

We haven't participated in a FE exchange in the true sense, but we did participate in the postcard exchange on last year's WBTA. We each gave a card from our area, and my husband even started to get into it. We loved getting them from around the world.

 

[serenitynow]

We got a ton of candy during our cruise too. We put it all in a zip top bag and my son gave it, as a treat for the staff in the Edge. They are not allowed to except tips (which personally, I think,is stupid) but they loved getting the big bag of assorted candies.