Cruise ducks are small rubber ducks that passengers hide around a cruise ship for other passengers to find. Whoever finds one keeps it or hides it again, and that is the whole game. It started in 2018, it has spread to nearly every cruise line, and on a big Royal Caribbean or Carnival ship you can now expect a few hundred ducks hidden over a single sailing. This guide covers where the tradition came from, the unwritten rules, what each cruise line thinks about it, where to buy ducks, and how to hide and hunt them with a free app that keeps score.
Get Pixie Pals, the free cruise ducks app
What’s the deal with ducks on cruise ships?
Ducks on cruise ships are a passenger-run hide-and-seek game. Someone hides a rubber duck in a public spot, often with a little tag that says which ship and sailing it came from. Someone else finds it, usually a kid, and either keeps it as a souvenir or re-hides it for the next person. There is no official prize and the cruise lines do not run it. The fun is the surprise of finding one and the small kindness of hiding one for a stranger.
Where did cruise ducks come from?
The tradition is usually credited to a 10-year-old named Abby Davis, who hid ducks on a Carnival Breeze sailing in 2018 with her mom, Ashley Davis. They started the Cruising Ducks™ Facebook group so finders could post photos, and the group now has hundreds of thousands of members. From there it jumped to Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, MSC, Princess and most other lines.
The unwritten cruise ducks rules
- Keep it or re-hide it. Either is fine. Most families keep one or two and re-hide the rest.
- Public areas only. Elevator lobbies, stairwell landings, promenade benches, the library, atrium planters, kids’ club hallways, the sports deck railings.
- Never in the pool, hot tub or on the pool deck edge. Ducks clog filters and annoy crew.
- Not on dining tables, theater seats or in the casino. Those get cleared by crew within minutes.
- No cabin doors, crew doors or staterooms.
- Keep tags friendly. Ship, sail date, maybe a hashtag or a QR code. Business cards and advertising on ducks are a quick way to get the tradition banned, so leave them off.
- Hide where little hands can reach safely. Most hunters are under ten.
Which cruise lines hide ducks?
Passengers hide ducks on nearly every line. Here is how it plays out on the big ones.
Carnival cruise ducks
This is where it started, and Carnival ships still see the most ducks per sailing. The Lido deck, the atrium and the stairwell art are the classic spots. Carnival cruise ducks tags often carry the ship’s name and the “Fun Ship” theme.
Royal Caribbean ducks
Oasis- and Icon-class ships are enormous, so Royal Caribbean duck hunts are more of a marathon. Central Park, the Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade and the Solarium stairwells are the hot zones. On a 7-night Royal Caribbean sailing the app’s fleet board regularly shows 200 or more ducks logged.
Norwegian, MSC, Princess, Celebrity and Virgin Voyages
All see regular duck activity. Virgin Voyages, being adults-only, has a smaller hunt but a very enthusiastic one. MSC and Princess passengers hide fewer ducks on average, which means a few dozen of yours will make you the star of the sailing.
Disney cruise ducks
Disney Cruise Line is the exception. Disney asks guests not to hide items around the ship, and crew remove ducks they find, so it is best not to hide ducks on Disney ships. Save them for the next sailing.
Are cruise ducks banned?
Not fleet-wide on any major line other than Disney’s request above. What has happened is that individual ships post reminders when ducks end up in pools or dining rooms, and some ships’ crews collect ducks from off-limits spots. The best way to keep the tradition welcome is to follow the rules above and to keep the ducks small, clean and tag-friendly.
Where to buy cruise ducks
Any small rubber duck works. The two-inch “mini” ducks in bags of 50 to 100 are the standard because they fit in a carry-on and in a child’s palm. Amazon, Oriental Trading, Walmart and the party aisle at Dollar Tree all have them. Etsy sellers make themed ducks (pirates, mermaids, sailors) and custom tags. Budget about 15 to 20 cents per duck in bulk, and bring more than you think; a family of four can easily go through 100 on a 7-night cruise.
Cruise duck ideas that get found faster
- Themed ducks for your ship or itinerary: pirate ducks for the Caribbean, Santa ducks for holiday sailings.
- A “golden duck” or two that is bigger or sparklier, and a note on the tag that it is special.
- Hide in a trail: five ducks on the same stairwell, one landing apart, so a kid who finds one keeps climbing.
- Give the duck a name on the tag. “Captain Quackers, Deck 5” is more fun than a blank duck.
- Log it in an app so you know when it was found. That is the part most hiders are missing.
How to know if your ducks were ever found
For years the only way was to hope someone posted your duck in a Facebook group. A cruising family got tired of wondering and built Pixie Pals, a free app with a Duck Hunt mode. You join your sailing (ship plus sail date), log each duck with the deck, the section of the ship and a hint, and hunters on board tap Found it! when they spot one. You see every find come in, hunters always know how many ducks are still hiding, and the top hider each week wins a prize. It prints its own tags with a QR code, and it works with no Wi-Fi. Free on iPhone, Android and in any browser.
Frequently asked questions
What do ducks mean on a cruise?
A hidden duck means another passenger left a small gift for whoever finds it. There is no code or signal behind it, just a hide-and-seek game between strangers.
Can adults play?
Yes, and plenty do. On adults-only lines like Virgin Voyages the whole hunt is grown-ups.
How many ducks should I bring?
Fifty is plenty for a first cruise. Families who get into it bring 100 to 300.
Do I have to re-hide a duck I find?
No. Keeping it is part of the tradition. Re-hiding is a nice way to keep the game going on longer sailings.
Can I put my business card on a duck?
Please don’t. Cruise lines treat it as solicitation, and it is the fastest way to get ducks banned on a ship.
