Welcome aboard, Ly!
Congratulations on booking your second sailing with
Disney Cruise Line! You are officially a
Castaway Club member, having already sailed with Disney, and are in for even more magic on your next cruise!
You are correct that some guests create online Facebook groups or other forums to meet with other guests on their same sailing with Disney. It sure is fun to get to know some other families before you set sail! Plus, as you mentioned, some groups will set up a gift exchange that is referred to as a Fish Extender exchange. You probably noticed on your first sailing, that outside each
stateroom there is a clip on the wall shaped like a fish or starfish on which the Cast Members may clip notes for the guests in that stateroom. Years ago, guests decided to create pockets that "extend" from the fish clip, so they could easily drop off and exchange gifts with other sailors, hence the name "fish extender".
This exchange is not something sponsored by Disney, but is created by guests themselves prior to sailing, so you'll need to do a bit of digging to find yours. I usually start by checking Disboards.com, a Disney fan site. On there, you can click on Forums, then scroll down to Disney Cruise Meets. You'll then select the year and ship you'll be enjoying and then you can select the exact itinerary dates. Sometimes the group stays and chats directly on that forum to plan meet up times onboard and possible Fish Extender Exchanges or even decorative door magnet exchanges. Other times, they'll decide to set up a Facebook group and share the link. If you don't find your group there, do a Facebook search for
Disney Wonder (specific dates) October 2020. You may find one that way. If one isn't set up yet, keep checking back on Disboards throughout the next few months. You're quite a ways out from your sailing, so you've got plenty of time.
I hope those details help you to connect to some of the other guests that will be cruising with you next year! A Disney Cruise Line voyage is chock-full of magic on its own, but meeting up with guests prior to sailing adds some extra magic to the cruise!
Have fun, Ly!
Marcy