As I was looking for inspiration from previous answers to this question, I cam across 3 different ways that I had answered it, and I liked them all. So, here is a copy of all three. If I confused you more I am sorry. If I left you with more questions, please let me know, but I hope this helps.
-When planning and organizing an FE, this is the question / concern I hear the most. And I will be completely honest. I have experienced 1 or 2 negative nilly's who judge others based on how much they gave, spent, or effort they put in to the FE's, but in my opinion, those individuals lost sight of what the FE is all about. Taking part in an FE exchange (at least in my mind and heart) is the opportunity to be a part of the magic of Disney, and helping make someone's trip (usually a little one's) unforgettable. The opportunity to return to your cabin at some point during the cruise, and see that someone thought of you, and left a little bit of pixie dust behind for you is a feeling that is as close to Christmas morning as you can get (for adults and kids). And, as I have interpreted the FE exchange, the most important recipients are the kiddos because we all know that if our kids are happy, so are we. That is not to say that the adults don't matter. We do. We are the one's that are still kids at heart. And the actual kids, and the kids at heart, will be so excited to see something in their FE, that they really will not be focusing on how much they are getting.
So, no stress allowed! Just have fun!
-On our first FE experience, I had the same question. The person I turned told me to think of it as a Secret Santa, and left it at that. Still curious about all of the ins and outs, I began researching it. What I came up with was that the views / ideas for participating in an FE were as different as comparing the culture of the US to say that of Zimbabwe. As a result, I have come up with my own version of explanation.
Let me start by giving you examples of what others have done in the past, and what I have heard people are planning for this trip.
There are people who are planning / have planned to give 1 gift per cabin (thus they will / would be delivering it 1 time during the cruise), others who are giving 1 gift for the adults and then 1 gift for each kid (distributed through out the cruise), some are planning to give a cabin gift, and then 1 gift per person (adult and kids - to be delivered through out the cruise), and finally some that are planning a variety of gifts, one for each day.
Now, I know as you were reading that, you were probably thinking about how little time is actually left, and how you could do that much. That was not my intent. I just want to point out that the gift giving can be as varied and personalize as each individual (which goes along with my belief that everyone is their own individual. How boring would life be if we were all the same). So, what does this mean for you (and your family). First, you will need something to hang on the fish outside your cabin door (it does not have to be an official Fish Extender...It can be a bag, a stocking, or any other item you can collect gifts in), then I would suggest since your family makes up a good size fraction of the group, that each cabin creates / picks what it is going to give with out sharing the information with each other, then, choose what ever gift giving plan will fit best with your prep time, and leaves you the amount of time on the cruise that you want, to still be able to enjoy everything else. With 11 to 13 cabins, you can expect to spend 30 minutes to deliver 1 set of gifts (or make one round of deliveries). Once you have all that in mind, then figure out what gift/gifts will work best for you. You can hand craft a gift, but that is not required. You can also buy ready made items (something as small as items from the $1 store, to items you find on Etsy). The key, and most important part of the FE, is to add to the enjoyment of your cruise, not to add stress.
One final thought, just a suggestion actually. Our family likes to choose a theme around what type of gifts we will give. Such as a pirate theme, or a holiday theme, etc.
-As for gift giving, that is totally up to you. Things to consider when making that decision: how much space will you have in your luggage, what do you want to budget for the FE'S, and how much time do you want to spend delivering (with a group of 10 cabins, you can expect to spend about 15 minutes delivering each time ).
Different views I have heard through out our experience with FE'S include the following possibilities.
Some families choose to make / deliver 1 gift per family / cabin. They usually make something that the whole family will enjoy, or make something for the adults, and something for the kids, and deliver them at one time.
Others will choose to make family gifts, adult gifts and kid gifts. Then they spread out the delivery.
And still others plan gifts for every day.
Personally, we are planning a boarding day gift, a pirate day gift, and then about 3 other days worth of gifts. Keeping in mind that we all have to fly home after the cruise, all of our gifts will be compact, and most will be either consumable or very easily packed away.
I know I didn't directly answer your question, but I hope I helped. If not please don't be afraid to let me know, and I will try again.
If you have any more questions (such as history or something like that) just let me know. Or if you want me to add you to the list. Other than that I am glad to have you on board, and being out of sorts with our business trip I did forget a proper
~Tink~