09/13/2026
Have you ever participated in a Secret Santa gift exchange?!? Well, participating in a Fish Extender is a little like that, only on a Disney cruise!
Outside your cabin, you will find a fish. From this fish, you will hang an “extender” to hold gifts you’ll receive from other cabins onboard. Your extender can be something like the one I created here, which was a mix of Amazon, Hobby Lobby, and Disney. It can also be something simple like a gift bag. We saw a little bit of everything, but it’s another chance for your creativity to shine (if you choose).
Prior to your cruise, you’ll want to find your Disney sailing group on Facebook. Join it and see who is leading the Fish Extender efforts. Once they gather interest, they usually divide participants into groups by age, gender, interest, and more. You’ll be assigned a small group to buy gifts for and bring those gifts on your cruise to deliver to their Fish Extenders. How and when you deliver is up to you, but try to do it when people will be visiting their cabins so they don’t get taken by someone else (sadly, it happens). I tried to buy things that matched each kid’s interests while keeping packing/traveling in mind. This is no easy task! I also packed gift bags and tissue paper flat so I could wrap them onboard before we delivered.
Price ranges vary, but you can typically budget for $15-25/person for a Fish Extender. We saw a huge range of gifts on our cruise, from things that were helpful in Alaska (like binoculars and hand warmers), to art supplies, games, and figurines of your favorite Disney characters.
Pro tip: whatever space you will get back in your suitcase after giving out all your gifts, plan on needing more to get home! Between fish extender gifts, pixie dusting (more on that to come), and purchasing our own souvenirs, we ended up with an entire carry-on filled with treasures for the trip home.
