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Disney Cruise DIY Fish Extender Hanging Organizer
Going on a Disney Cruise? If you are participating in a Fish Extender exchange, check out how we made a great hanging organizer before our cruise!
When you go on a Disney Cruise, you have to decide if you will participate in a Fish Extender gift exchange. (If you have no idea what that means, take a look at our Fish Extender Tips and Info post. Lots of great ideas in that tutorial! So let’s say that you decide to join an FE. One thing that you will need is the actual gift holder that hangs on the Fish “hook” next to your cabin door.
You will see so many different versions of the Fish Extender hanging organizer on your ship. I have seen everything from Etsy-bought FE hangers to file folders tied together, buckets tied together, knapsacks tied together, gift bags tied together. People get super creative and use all sorts of resources to make DIY Fish Extender organizers.
We bought ours on Etsy two cruises ago, so on the most recent trip, we already had ours. My Grandma, however, needed one. Her and my great aunt were sharing a cabin and they weren’t particpating in an official FE exchange, but I knew I would be leaving treats for them. PLUS -when you put up a fish extender organizer, many times you will find your organizer “Pixie Dusted” which means people roam the halls with little treats, candies and other surprises.
I wanted to put something cheap and cheerful together for them to use on the cruise, and the end result came out GREAT. I personalized their organizer with my Silhouette Cameo and heat transfer vinyl. You could use iron on letters, patches, stickers to decorate your organizer if you don’t have a Silhouette or Cricut.
This is the exact organizer that I bought: Over The Door Organizer Wall Closet Hanging Storage Bag
Here is what it looks like:
The pockets are a really decent size – totally big enough to hold some Fish Extender gifts! Here is a picture showing a pencil in one of the pockets to give you an idea of the pocket size.
To personalize this DIY Fish Extender organizer, I cut names in heat transfer vinyl in the Disney-like font called Waltograph. Whether you use a heat press or an iron to affix the heat transfer vinyl to the pockets, I recommend pressing in short time increments. The pockets are lined in a nylon/plastic type material so short press increments will ensure you don’t melt the material.
The final result was awesome!
Once we boarded the ship and got our luggage delivered to the cabin, I unpacked this Fish Extender and hung it on their door. It was a big hit and did a great job collecting random gifts throughout the week.
PIN Disney Cruise DIY Fish Extender Hanging Organizer TO PINTEREST!
More Disney Cruise Posts I have written:
Before you book:
The 5 Dates You MUST Know Before Booking Your Disney Cruise
3 EASY Ways to Save THOUSANDS of Dollars on a Disney Cruise
Before you board:
8 Cool Things to Do on Your Disney Cruise
15 MORE Cool Things to do on Disney Cruises
Cruise Carry-On Bag Packing List (And What You Don’t Need)
Free Printable Disney Cruise Cabin Door Decorations
DIY Disney Cruise Tervis Tumblers
The Ultimate Guide to a Halloween Disney Cruise
Disney Cruise Line Vacation REVEAL Video – Surprise Scavenger Hunt – Halloween on the High Seas NYC
Disney Cruise Vacation Countdown FREE Printable
The Ultimate Guide to Disney Cruise Fish Extenders + Lots of Ideas and FREE Printables
Disney Cruise Reviews and Cabin Tours:
Disney Cruise Lines Review – Magic 3-Night Bahamas from Port Canaveral (with a Kid and a Baby!)
Disney Cruise Lines Review – Disney Dream 3-Night Bahamas
Disney Halloween Cruise Review – Magic 7-Night Bahamas from NYC
Disney Magic Cruise Ship Concierge 1 Bedroom Suite Cabin 8032 Video Tour
Disney Dream Cruise Ship Concierge Cabin 12506 Review
Can you say more about the heat transfer vinyl? How do I get that in the names / shapes that are customized to my needs? Thank you!
I have a Silhouette Cameo vinyl cutter, so I design everything that I cut on my computer and then cut it out on my Silhouette. Your best bet for personalized vinyl (assuming you don’t have an interest in buying a machine) is to ask friends or family if anyone has a machine and can help you out. The two most popular brands for this are the Silhouette and Cricut.