What Are Fish Extenders on a Disney Cruise?
Outside of every Disney cruise ship cabin, you’ll find a metal hanger next to the stateroom door. Cast Members use it to leave your Key to the World Cards, personal notes, and other important communications. On the original Disney ships, the hanger was shaped like a fish, which is where the name Fish Extenders comes from.
Beyond being a cute and nautical way to hold messages from the Disney crew, Fish Extenders are also a way for fellow passengers to communicate with your family. Think of it as a little mailbox for your journey at sea.
How Fish Extenders Got Started
The Fish Extender tradition began in 2005 on a Westbound Panama Canal cruise. One guest came up with the idea of creating hanging pockets from the fish to get to know other passengers. Soon after, a simple gift exchange was born. Guests could swap small gifts with each other throughout the cruise, adding a new layer of fun to the experience.
What Is a Fish Extender?
A Fish Extender can be anything that holds gifts or messages. Some are handmade, while others can be purchased online. There’s no right or wrong way to do it. The only limit is your imagination. A quick search for “Fish Extender” online will show you just how creative guests can get.
How to Participate
Most cruises will have a Facebook group or social media page for your sailing dates. You can connect with other families there to:
Coordinate seating at dinner
Join group activities like mixology classes
Sign up for a Fish Extender gift exchange
Once you’re in a group, you’ll usually get some guidelines about the type of gifts, value, or number of participants.
What Kind of Gifts?
The short answer is anything you want. Gifts can be:
Small or large
Handmade or store-bought
Most groups provide some basic rules, but there’s a lot of flexibility for creativity.
Should You Participate?
Kids love coming back to their staterooms to see what surprises await them—and yes, even big kids enjoy it. Fish Extenders are a fun way to spend family time, both in creating gifts before the cruise and in checking out everyone’s setups onboard.
It is a commitment, though. If you join a group, you’ll need to find the participating staterooms during your cruise, which can take some extra time.
Personally, I don’t participate because gift-giving is not my love language, and trying to figure out what to buy tends to overwhelm me. That said, it’s an activity that many families absolutely love and remember long after their cruise ends.
