We want to start by stating there is no “right or wrong” way to create a Fish Extender exchange in your Facebook group.  Every sailing we have been on has implemented it somewhat differently.  So please read through our suggestions, see what works for you and go from there!

When we have set up Fish Extenders, the first thing we do is decide on all the “rules” for our exchanges.  We try to make things as much fun for everyone as possible, while not excluding people.   The rules you will need to come up with include the following

• How many cabins in each group?
• How do people sign up?
• What info do you ask from people?
• How long are signups going to be open for?
• Are there any “off limit” items?
• Will you do multiple exchanges?
• How will you confirm groups?
• What other general rules have you implemented?
• What is Pixie Dusting?
• Do you have a generic post I can use for my group?

This is something you should leave up to your group when you start to think about Fish Extenders.  I’ve been in groups with 10 cabins, 7 cabins and 5 cabins.  Personally I find that 5 cabins is a good number.  It doesn’t require a lot from each cabin and is much more manageable to hand out gifts.

For me, I like to use Google Sheets for people to sign up.  You can see a basic sheet here. I make sure that I tell people not to delete others from groups and to make sure their info is correct.  You will also see I name my groups different character names as this makes confirming things much easier later on.

As you see in our basic sheet, we ask for the following info:

• Last Name
• First name of those in the cabin
• Ages
• Favorite Characters
• Any Allergies
• Other Notes
• Number of people in the cabin

With regards to ages, adults tend to just put “adult” and for the kids people will put the age and if boy or girl.

Allergies is a big thing for a lot more kids than you think.  This is an important item as you don’t want to give a kid something they can’t have.

Other notes is simply for people to put things such as “Wedding Anniversary” or “First Cruise”.  

This varies from group to group.  Most of the time people will have groups open until the paid in full date at which point they start to close the groups.  Some groups won’t open new groups to anyone joining after this date, while others will open up new groups.  Personally, I close the groups that are full at the PIF date, if there are any openings I will post about it for someone to sign up and then I will let other members open up new groups all the way up to 2 weeks out.  However with the new groups after the PIF I make it very clear that whomever creates the new group must confirm with everyone in it versus me.

This is one of those rules that you need to set up.  Personally I state that self promotion items are off limits.  You might have a great product, but please don’t sell it to me.  Additionally any “work branded” items such as cups, pens, and stationary are probably a bad idea.  I also make sure I tell people they cannot request specific items, only post things they would rather not receive.  For example, we always post “no hot fudge”.  This is simply due to the fact that we don’t make sundaes onboard and the hot fudge weighs a lot in our suitcases!

This refers to if you are going to do cabin only or if you are going to offer any of the following:

• Adult only
• Kid only
• Magnet
• Ornament

The easiest way to confirm groups is to create a post for EACH group and tag everyone in that group.  Yes, each group.  This is time consuming to say the least.  One sailing I had to create 25 separate posts as there were 25 different groups!  Simply ask each person tagged if they are still sailing and participating and once they confirm, close that group.  

Basic rules I put forth include:

• Don’t remove someone from a group
• No Gift Shaming
• Ideal spend limit per cabin
• Don’t ask for specific items
• Give out your gifts!

Pixie Dusting is when you have other gifts you want to give out to people that aren’t in your fish extender group. Sometimes you make a friendship either before or during sailing and want to give them a gift.  Some Facebook groups will allow a sign up of rooms that would like to be Pixie Dusted.  Personally, I feel this is in poor taste as you are asking people to give you gifts without giving them out yourself.  There are exceptions for this of course, so use your own discretion with this.

Of course!  See below.

Ok everyone here it is! The Fish Extender/Ornament/Magnet Sign Up! Please do not change the height/width of the rows/columns. If we run out of pre-made groups, feel free to create a new group. Just try to keep with the theme of characters!

LINK TO GOOGLE SHEETS PAGE

Here’s some more details on the FE and how I will be running it for this group.

Signup is open now until roughly PIF DATE. At that point I will close all of the FE groups that are full. Any that are not full will remain open(ish) for any late comers to the group.

Do NOT remove anyone from a group. If there is not an open spot, move onto the next group. If I need to make additional groups, please message me and I will add them. Do not create a new group as I want to keep the naming somewhat consistent.

After PIF DATE I will be confirming everyone in each of the groups. There will be a post for EACH group where I will tag you to confirm your participation in the group. You will have 1 week to confirm you are still participating otherwise I will remove you from that group. Please make note if you are in multiple groups as you will get tagged in multiple posts.

If you have a guaranteed stateroom please list your temporary stateroom number or VGT. You will be asked to update your info after the PIF date when you get your stateroom. If your stateroom changes, again, make sure you update your info. Also please let everyone in your group know!

Please list each person that will be participating in the exchange in your group. If grandma is staying in your room but not participating you do not need to include her.

Gifts (specific to FE) can either be for the entire cabin or for each individual. That is up to you. However kids love getting gifts so keep that in mind. We typically do a “cabin gift” and an individual gift.

Gifts can be anything you wish. There is no minimum spend, nor a maximum spend. With that said, do not feel like you need to go all out and spend a fortune on gifts. While I am certain my wife would love to get a Dooney and Bourke bag, that is pretty unrealistic. We suggest roughly $5-$7/person.

Be sensitive to ages and allergies. Obviously you do not want to give an infant any toy that has choking hazards. Additionally it is unlikely a 14year old boy would want bubbles.

Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT, request anything specific to get. I have seen groups where people were listing some crazy items they expected to receive. If I see this happening, I will remove you from your FE groups.

If you want to get someone something specific and need more information from people in your group, please ask! Just create a post asking those in the group your question. So if you are in the Dopey group and you need to know people’s favorite colors for instance, you can create a post stating “Everyone in the Dopey FE Group, what’s your favorite color?”

When should you hand out your gifts? Ideally you give them out either the first night or sometime during day 2. However some people like to give specific day gifts (think Pirate Night). Get your kids involved in handing out gifts. It makes it fun.

When packing your FE/Ornament/Magnet gifts I HIGHLY suggest packing them in a carry on if you are flying. You don’t want to have the airline lose that luggage.

If you sign up to be in a gift exchange, it is with the understanding that you will actually participate and give gifts. Do not be “that cabin”. People know, and it has made for awkward encounters on board. The obvious exception to this is if you don’t heed the above advice and the airline lost your bags.

Lastly remember this is supposed to be fun. Don’t stress too much about it. Remember you can hand make or buy your gifts. It is up to you.