Guide
How a fish extender exchange works
Sign-ups, group sizes, how groups are formed and when, kids-only and other exchange types, and who receives what. A plain guide for first-timers and organisers.
Every sailing has its own Facebook group, and someone in it usually volunteers to run the FE exchange. They post the basics, open sign-ups, sort cabins into groups and share the lists. Here is how that tends to go.
Sign-ups
The organiser shares a form, a sheet or a comment thread. You give your stateroom number, who is sailing in your cabin, and an easy way to reach you. Many forms also ask for ages, favourite characters, allergies and anything you are celebrating.
No stateroom number yet? Guaranteed bookings often get theirs late. Sign up anyway and add it when it arrives.
Group sizes
Most groups are 5 to 12 cabins, and about 10 is the most common. Smaller groups mean fewer gifts to pack. A busy sailing often runs several groups at once.
How groups are formed
- By deck: cabins near each other go together, so delivering is one short walk.
- At random: a fair mix of the whole sailing.
- In sign-up order: the first ten cabins are group one, and so on.
Some organisers form groups as people sign up. Many wait for a set date, often about 100 days before sailing, because families personalise gifts and a group that keeps changing leaves them with things they can't use.
When sign-ups close
Usually 30 to 60 days before you sail. A late-comer group often stays open until a week or two before, for anyone who books late or finds the group late.
Kinds of exchange
- General: everyone in the cabin receives. The most popular, run on nearly every sailing.
- Kids only: only the children receive.
- Adults only: gifts for the grown-ups.
- Magnet: door magnets instead of pocket gifts.
- Cabin-to-cabin swaps: two cabins trade with each other. Popular as a late-comer option.
Who receives is decided person by person
Your cabin is the delivery address, and the people in it are who the gifts are for. In a kids-only exchange, the children in each cabin receive and the parents get nothing, so you buy one gift per child, not one per cabin. Ask your organiser if it isn't clear how many to bring.
During the cruise
Gifts go in on the nights your group agreed, often once for a short sailing and on set nights for a longer one. Bring the list on paper: once you sail away, plenty of people are off Wi-Fi.