Fish Extenders- Favorite & Least Favorite Gifts?

[dreamer17555]

So I know Fish Extender Exchanges aren't for everyone (and I only do them every few sailings) but for those that do like them or have participated- What FE gifts have you been given that you really loved? Any gifts that completely missed the mark? Trying to brain storm ideas and ones to avoid.

 

[Chemist]

Least favorite: the fake key card to turn the lights on
Most favorite: embroidered laundry bag (still using it many trips later)

 

[ArielRae]

Least Favorite: Any type of cup or tumbler (everyone giving them recently)

Most favorite: High quality Stickers/Decals you can put on your stuff or car. Also Magnets for the stateroom door.

 

[Cheburashka]

Favorites:

• character or sailing specific Christmas tree ornaments
• character or sailing specific magnets
• character or sailing specific coasters
• character or sailing specific koozies
• decorative pop-up laundry hamper
• anything homemade
• anything else that is lightweight and cute, character or sailing themed

Least favorites:

• candy or any other food items (it's a cruise- there's already a ton to eat)
• unthemed dollar store type items of extremely low value/quality such as generic Mardi Gras beads, rubber duckies, or finger traps (if you don't want to give anything of any value, I recommend pixie dusting instead of fish extender exchanges)
• anything large, heavy or awkward to pack (such as liquids)

 

[dreamer17555]

So follow up- Would anyone like Disney board games or are they too large of an item? Thinking similar to the current Disney Trivia Game or Haunted Mansion Game?

 

[Cheburashka]

So follow up- Would anyone like Disney board games or are they too large of an item? Thinking similar to the current Disney Trivia Game or Haunted Mansion Game?

They're a generous gift, but imo they're just too large. Most people fly in and out of the cruises.

 

[mcd2745]

I'll probably get flamed for this, but...I've always preferred practical gifts I can get some use from over things that are completely decorative in nature or a completely homemade craft.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Favorites:

• anything homemade
• anything else that is lightweight and cute, character or sailing themed

Least favorites:

• anything large, heavy or awkward to pack (such as liquids)

I've always preferred practical gifts

I agree - nothing BIG. I like local recipe cards. And, generally, almost anything homemade with some obvious thought to the cruise or Disney-themed.

 

[RangerPooh]

Least favorite-
- cups. They do t always make it home. My kids like them, but they get sacrificed to space, or broken in travel.
- I’ve cream sets. Thoughtful but my kids forgot to bring them to the deck and then they do are stuck with bowls.
- birthday bag trinkets

Favorite-
- magnets and ornaments
- candy- my kids enjoy it
- bags- my kids put them to use. Good for laundry and beach day
- decorative items
- card games. My teens love uno and playing cards
- stickers (well made)

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Least Favourite - Trashed , Regifted

• Anything big or bulky
• American chocolate and candy
• Generic Disney or character items like key chains, coasters, stickers
• Christmas ornaments
• Mugs, cups, bowls
• Card games, travel games,
• Ducks, and similar items

Most Used

• Cruise Specific photo frame
• Cruise or character specific tote bag
• Practical items useful on the cruise
• Cruise or character specific magnets
• European chocolate and sweets

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Only participated once.

most favorite .. some mickey leggings for my oldest kid, a magnet with our cruise year / ship, a couple of small zipper travel pouches.

least favorite .. coloring books with the pack of 4 crayons that come with kid menus at restaurants (and my kids were past the coloring age), dollar store type trinkets, handmade keychains that broke quickly, drawstring bag with cruise year printed - which peeled off quickly, disney expanding washcloths which were all rough and scratchy and got relegated to rags immediately, clips to secure towels to verandah chairs which broke quickly.

I don't know if I would participate again. I felt dismayed by the amount of stuff that ended up in the trash pretty quickly. If I did participate, I would most like to receive magnets, koozies, recipes, maybe a small local item from gifter's home area.

 

[Cheburashka]

least favorite .. coloring books with the pack of 4 crayons that come with kid menus at restaurants (and my kids were past the coloring age), dollar store type trinkets...

Most of the FE gifts I get are nice efforts at least, and a nice effort is all that is expected, but sometimes there is one cabin in the FE group who raids the cheapest generic dollar store items they can find. A plastic baggie with a Tootsie roll, Mardi Gras beads and restaurant crayons is not an appropriate FE gift. You have to wonder what people who give that are thinking. Disney cruises are priced such that no one is booking them who can't afford to spend $5 per cabin if they want to (this is for FE's that have the standard 5 - 10 cabins in a group). So the people who choose to spend 50 cents (and not due to making homemade items, which have a different type of value)...you have to wonder about their motivation.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Most of the FE gifts I get are nice efforts at least, and a nice effort is all that is expected, but sometimes there is one cabin in the FE group who raids the cheapest generic dollar store items they can find. A plastic baggie with a Tootsie roll, Mardi Gras beads and restaurant crayons is not an appropriate FE gift. You have to wonder what people who give that are thinking. Disney cruises are priced such that no one is booking them who can't afford to spend $5 per cabin if they want to (this is for FE's that have the standard 5 - 10 cabins in a group). So the people who choose to spend 50 cents (and not due to making homemade items, which have a different type of value)...you have to wonder about their motivation.

I mean I felt kind of bad for even thinking those kind of things, because maybe they didn't like our gift just as much. (We gave something homemade but which I have and use in my house daily, so I felt like it might work for most), but maybe it wasn't for them, just like the crayon 4 packs weren't for us. But even with the less expensive items, I felt like some made multiple deliveries, and we really only had one gift per stateroom. If I participated again I would definitely try and make at least 2 deliveries (for a 7 night trip). The fun part was actually leaving the gifts and finding new gifts had arrived, not the actual gifts!

 

[Cheburashka]

The fun part was actually leaving the gifts and finding new gifts had arrived, not the actual gifts!

Agreed. Those are definitely the best parts. That said, I do have many FE gifts that I have kept over the years. And even the gifts that didn't even make it off the boat with us, were appreciated just because someone made an effort. My only criticism was of those rare total no effort gifts.

 

[alanbp1]

Dislikes - people who drop off one or two fake pins purchased on eBay and call it a day
The ones we have kept over time - Mini Disney Lego cruise ships, almost all the ornaments, magnets

 

[kateandy08096]

On our last cruise we received a tube of toothpaste and eye drops we have given for girls of a certain age princess barbies, Disney lego mini figures, sams club had a 3 pack of character Bluetooth speakers. We like to put thought into each gift but don't expect much in return. We participate because we enjoy it.

 

[Becx N Gav]

I've planned to give two pens for each cabin (with the ships name and cruise date) and a Dream magnet with the cruise details. I'm also going to make small cardboard book marks for everyone and little thank you cards. It's so hard to know how much to spend and what people may like!

 

[Edna Cloud]

Probably family similar to others, favourites include useful or entertaining; perhaps something relating to the home country or location of the gift. Least favourite would be sweets / candy (never stop eating on board anyway) and “tat” that shows little or no thought. I think the question I ask myself is “would I use this on my cruise, or want it in my home”.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

“tat” that shows little or no thought. I think the question I ask myself is “would I use this on my cruise, or want it in my home”.

Exactly. Funny thing, I put my list in a cruise group, and it was not liked, the admin removed it and send me a pm "warning".

Even the pixie dusting is getting out of hand, people using it for stealth advertising for their small business and monetized social media. The new thing I have seen now is people posting in cruise groups," I have 20 of xyz for pixie dusting, the first 20 people who comment with their room number will get them. "

 

[mcd2745]

But even with the less expensive items, I felt like some made multiple deliveries, and we really only had one gift per stateroom. If I participated again I would definitely try and make at least 2 deliveries (for a 7 night trip). The fun part was actually leaving the gifts and finding new gifts had arrived, not the actual gifts!

I agree with this. The last couple of cruises, I've made it a point to do two deliveries. I feel like too often, you receive everything by the end of day two, and nothing else the rest of the week. So, I like to wait until day 3 for the first delivery and the second on day 5 or 6.