Yes you are in the right place, if you are looking for an explanation to what exactly are Disney Cruise Line fish extenders. Disney Cruise FE gifts are an exciting way to share in the magic and create excitement with your family and other cruisers. Simply put, it is a gift exchange with other staterooms. Here’s everything that you will need to know about fish extenders and this fun tradition on board Disney Cruise Line.
What Is It?
Usually when I mention the term fish extender to someone who has never been on a Disney Cruise then the response is generally, what in the world is that? Outside of every stateroom on the Disney Cruise Line is a metal fish or seahorse depending on your location on the ship. The general purpose of this fish is for the crew to communicate with your cabin about dinner reservations like at Remy or Palo, Nursery reservations, spa appointment times and other correspondence during your cruise. Think of it as your mailbox. Also this is the place where you will hang your fish extender bag or holder for the exchange.
How Do I Join?
There is likely a Facebook group already created by other cruisers. You can search by your ship name and date of sailing. Once you join this Facebook group, then you can meet & mingle with other cruisers and also sign up to be a part of the fish extender gift exchange. Extra tip, this is also the place to sign up for ornament, recipe, Tsum Tsum, magnet and even taste of home exchanges. On our last cruise, we also joined a group for Boy and Girl Scout badge exchange and Chocolate/ Liquor tasting. I felt like I knew so many of the other cruisers before we even stepped foot on the boat. Keep in mind that these groups are not operated by Disney but by other cruisers that volunteer their time. Another tip, is you will want to sign up early for exchanges as the groups fill up fast and most are finalized months before the actual cruise date.
Where Do I Purchase Fish Extenders?
There are so many options to purchasing or making your own fish extender. The general guidelines are that it shouldn’t be longer than 6 feet (or it will touch the floor) and wider than 8-12 inches. For our first cruise, we found our fish extender on Etsy. We had one made with the Very Merry Christmas Theme and enough pockets for each person. Keep in mind the need for deep pockets to hold all the priceless gifts that you will receive. I loved ours so much that I purchased our next one for Halloween on the High Seas already from Etsy too. Don’t worry, you can make or buy anything to your liking and doesn’t have to be extravagant. Here are a couple links to making your own from Liz On Call and Disney Insider Tips.
What Gifts To Give And Ideas?
When you get your final list of the cabins that you are exchanging with, it will likely include the names, stateroom number, age, genders, favorite characters, favorite colors, and shirt size. Ok, don’t panic and take a deep breathe. You can really tailor the gifts to each person in the cabin if you wanted to. There is no general rule on who you must give gifts to but the majority that we received included a gift for each kid and a gift for each parent or a combined gift for both parents. On our last trip, we got all kinds of goodies from sand toys and handmade items to souvenirs from their country of origin. One family from Australia gave us kangaroo magnets and other Aussie inspired gift items. As far as delivery of these items, that is up to you. We choose to deliver a few cabins each night on the way to dinner.
Here are a few suggestions but feel free to use your imagination
- Personalized Light Key (your room keys turn on the lights but these cards with attached magnets are perfect so that you don’t forget and leave your real key in the room)
- Sand Toys for Castaway Cay
- Pirate Items for Pirate Night
- Ice Cream Sundae Kit (keep in original packages)
- Disney Glow Sticks
- Games
- Personalized Dry Erase Boards
- Disney Cruise Koozies
- Hand Sanitizer
- Night Lights
- Personalized canvas bags
- Luggage Tags
- First Aid Kit
- Battery powered string lights
- Disney Tumbler
- Flashlights with Mickey silhouette
- Laundry kit with lint roller, pods, softener sheets and travel wrinkle releaser
- Laundry bags or pop up laundry basket
- Souvenirs from your hometown or state
- Beverage Carrier
- Room decorations kit
- Personalized wooden letters
- Personalized magnets
- Picture frames or personalized photo mats
For our last trip, we went a little overboard on our gifts (no pun intended). For the whole cabin gift, we made up ice cream sundae kits. Each kit included Mickey sprinkles, waffle bowls, Hershey mixers Oreo and Reece’s pieces, Christmas nerds, red & green gummi bears, peppermint pop rocks, and color changing spoons. One family who requested no candy, got a Disney Cruise photo album. Each family also got a personalized dry erase board. We wrote on each saying Merry Christmas and that our cabin had been there. Last but not least, each kid got their own personalized pillowcase with their name and character of choice. I loved how they turned out but underestimated the amount of time making them. Each pillowcase came with a permanent marker in case they wanted to get character signatures on them.
Tips and Tricks
Tags – I found personalized tags on Etsy that I attached to each item that we gave out so they would know who left it. You will want to have some sort of tag.
Day at sea – no doubt that your time is valuable on board with all the activities but I found that days at sea seemed to be the best time to deliver or at night before dinner
Small and packable – try to keep your items small and easy to pack
Put FE gifts in carry on luggage – we packed all our FE gifts in carry on luggage that we could so they wouldn’t get lost or smashed.
Deliver early – keep in mind that most people pack the day before disembarkation day so deliver your gifts sooner rather than later
Food items – all food items must be in original packaging for safety reasons
Pixie Dust – this is separate from FE gifts but still fun. We randomly passed out items to other staterooms, kids in line for character meet and greets, and even neighbors while dining. Our gifts were Disney themed kits from Micheal’s craft store or dollar tree Disney items. See pictures below of pixie dust items that our family brings.
Dollar items – keep dollar items to a minimum but by no means do you need to spend a fortune on your gifts
Adult only exchange – there is an adult only FE exchange too
Overall, our experience with the fish extender gift exchange was great. The kids were thrilled every time we got back to our room and found gifts left for them. They were also equally as excited about sneaking around the ship delivering presents to other staterooms. We will definitely do this again and actually all signed up for our cruise later this year.
HAPPY CRUISING!
This is amazing! I’d seen this mail bags and never knew what they were for! Thank you for being so thorough!