What the heck is a Fish Extender??

What the heck is a Fish Extender??

You just booked your first Disney Cruise. You are so excited!! You are thinking of Sun, Fun and Beach Time. Then someone says, “Did you sign up for the Fish Extender?” What the heck is a Fish Extender? Do I bring gifts for EVERY cabin on the ship? Why and Where do I sign up? Should I sign up???? Ok ok I’m being a little silly.

 

Simply put a Fish Extender is a Gift Exchange. You sign up to make new friends and do something a little extra on your cruise. To sign up you join a Facebook Group for your specific cruise, search Facebook typing in Disney (Name of ship), Dates sailing. That should bring up a group for you.

 

The actual Fish Extender is a set of pockets you hang on the message fish outside your cabin door. This is where people will drop off the goodies they bring for you. You will droop your gifts in their Fish Extender pockets. The exchange got its name from the fact the pockets extend the ability of the message Fish to hold things.

 

Once you join the Facebook Group for you cruise you find out where the sign up sheet is. It is usually a Google sheet that you fill in. You will put in the names of every person in your cabin joining the exchange, their age, any food allergies and maybe favorite characters. You will be in groups of 5-10 cabin. You just bring gifts for the cabins you sign up for. There may be different types of exchanges. Kids to Kids, Adults Only, Christmas Ornaments, Recipe Exchanges and Pin Trading. You sign up for just the ones YOU want to do. There is no requirement to do this at all.

 

Sometimes there will be a Pixie Dusting signup. This is where people who maybe can’t do the exchange can put their names and people will Pixie Dust them will little gifts. This may be Make a Wish Kids. or Dream Foundation Adults.

 

Your gifts can be homemade, store bought, simple, elaborate, or personalized for the person receiving them. You can give Disney Themed goodies or not. Some people make “travel kits” with travel goodies like pocket size packets of Kleenex, Band-Aids, Wooden Clothes Pins, travel sewing kits, and laundry packets. Some give toys to the kids, Disney pins, pens, Nautical themed items, magnets, and handmade picture frames. Others will bring something that is from where they live. Things like candy, crackers and other snacks in original sealed packaging. In truth anything goes!!