Everything You Need to Know About Disney Cruise’s Fish Extenders

What is fish extender?

If you’ve ever been on a Disney cruise, you may have noticed that some passengers hang pocket organizers by their cabin doors. These are called fish extenders, named after the metal fish (or other sea animal) icon that sits outside your cabin door (usually above your cabin number). This icon doubles as a mailbox for your attraction tickets, meal reminders, and an envelope for your key card on the first day of your cruise. This is also where cruise ship passengers hang their fish extenders.

What is the purpose of these hanging items? It’s to allow other passengers to leave small gifts and trinkets for the people in your cabin as part of a Secret Santa-style activity. Disney Cruise Line doesn’t coordinate these hanging items exchanges; they’re organized independently by the cruise ships on each voyage.

You will see many types of fish extenders on Disney cruise ships. The most common types of fish extenders are reusable cloth shopping bags or custom multi-layer bags similar to door organizers.

How to connect people to participate in gift exchange?

The two most popular places to find fish keeping groups are on community yachting forums and through Facebook.

Regardless of which option you choose, you’ll first want to find the cruise you’ll be taking by searching for the ship and your dates. For example, you could search for “Disney Dream, August 12-19, 2025” and if there’s already a group, request to join.

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Within groups (sometimes called roll calls), smaller groups can be created for extended fish swaps. These groups can be based on a variety of themes, including family swaps, adult swaps, or even the type of gift you want to exchange, such as magnets or holiday ornaments. Depending on the type of gift swap you want to participate in, you can sign up for one or more smaller groups. Groups are often listed by group managers so you can see your options before committing to a themed group.

Once you decide what type of fishing group you want to join, the group organizer will add you to the list. You may also be asked to fill out a short survey about yourself and your roommates—hobbies, favorite Disney characters, favorite holidays, etc.

The larger group is then broken down into smaller, more manageable groups so that no family has to buy too much. Before the cruise, you will receive a short list of cabins for your gift list. If you have completed the survey for your extended fishing group, you will also receive similar information about your assigned extended fishing group friends.

Where to buy fish extender

What is the best gift for a fisherman?

The gift ideas for Disney Fish Extenders are nearly endless. If you’re crafty, consider handmade gifts like magnets, ornaments, and key chains. Gift shoppers can buy glow sticks, small toys, mugs, and tote bags. Pro tip: Give gifts you’d love to receive.

Need inspiration for a fish-stretching gift? Check out YouTube or TikTok for fish-stretching adventures, or browse gift ideas on Etsy. When it comes time to shop, online stores like Amazon and Etsy are great places. I also love finding little trinkets for kids in the dollar section at Target, craft stores, or “everything is a dollar” stores.

Make sure your suitcase is big enough to hold the gifts you plan to bring (and the ones you’ll receive on your trip). I’ve seen fish bags filled with treasures, which is great. However, gifts can be difficult to pack if you don’t have enough room in your suitcase.

The general rule for an extended fish exchange is to give one gift to each person in your assigned cabin group for the duration of the trip. So if you have five cabins and four people per cabin, you will have 20 individual gifts to give. Most people give all the gifts to one cabin at once.

How much should you budget for a gift that lasts?

Your budget will depend on the type of group you are in. Some open-ended groups will provide a dollar amount per person. Other groups let each person decide how much they want to spend. I like to keep each gift between $10 and $15, especially when I am buying for multiple people.

The number of people in your assigned cabin group will depend on the cabin limit set by the host, but the average group is between five and 10. Just know that cabins typically accommodate between one and five guests, which can add up quickly to your extended fishing budget.

If you have a fishing group with six cabins with four people per cabin, you would buy for 24 people. Multiply that by $10 per gift per person, and your budget is $240.

How to use your fish extender

Once you board the ship, the real fun of exchanging fish-filled gifts begins.

Hang your fish extender as early as possible on your first day. Consider packing your extender in a carry-on bag so you can hang it as soon as the cabin is ready. Most people hang their fish extender from the metal animal that displays the cabin number, but I have also seen people hang their fish extender from the door of their cabin using a metal magnetic hook.

When do you deliver fish stretch gifts?

Typically, there is no set time for delivering gifts to a cabin, but you will want to deliver each gift to the same cabin at the same time. If you have to deliver to 10 different cabins, it may take a while to get to everyone. You don’t want to have to go back to a cabin you’ve already visited.

You should distribute all of your gifts before dinner on the last night. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but many passengers pack right after dinner so that the crew can pick up the bags the night before disembarking. No one wants to try to cram gifts into a carry-on bag that may already be full of last-minute items like pajamas and toiletries.

Where do you put the gifts you receive?

Check your fish box every day so you can store any gifts you receive inside your cabin. This prevents any unwanted swiping and allows you to see and enjoy what you have received. Create a dedicated space in your cabin for your gifts—a small carry-on suitcase that is easily accessible or an unused drawer or shelf.

Is the fish and fairy dust gift exchange the same thing?

A common topic among Disney Cruise Line groups is the difference between fish extenders and “pixie dusting”. Fish extenders are part of an organized gift exchange. Pixie dusting is the giving or receiving of a gift that is not organized as a group. Receiving a pixie dust gift is a complete surprise and you are not required to give a gift in return.

Some people still give away fish extender bags or pouches as gifts, even if they do not participate in the fish extender exchange.

In the past, I’ve brought trinkets on board as pixie dust gifts. On a recent cruise, I loved giving out Disney quote friendship bracelets. I also dusted Halloween-themed goodie bags filled with pencils, spider rings, and ghost erasers for a “Halloween at Sea” cruise.

The last line

Joining a fish-pulling group and participating in the accompanying gift exchange can be a great way to add a little fun to your Disney vacation. However, this can be a big commitment of time and money. You can buy or make fish-pulling gifts, but you should adhere to the rules of the group you’re joining. If you’re on a tight budget but still want to give gifts, consider pixie dusting gifts. Whichever way you choose, sharing gifts with others is a fun way to add a little magic to your vacation.

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