Cruise ducks are the little rubber ducks cruisers hide all over the ship for strangers to find. Pixie Pals is the free app that gives that tradition a scoreboard: hide a duck, log where it is, and everyone on your sailing can hunt it, tap Found it!, and climb the leaderboard. Free on iPhone, Android and the web. No sign-up needed to hunt.
Get the free app (it picks your store) or play in your browser
How the cruise duck hunt works
- Join your sailing. Pick your ship and sail date. Everyone on board who does the same sees the same ducks and the same leaderboard.
- Hide a duck. Tap Hide, give the duck a name, pick the deck, tap where on the ship it is (forward, midship, aft, port or starboard), add a hint and a photo if you like.
- Hunt. The Find tab lists every duck logged on your ship, sorted by deck. Spot one in real life, tap Found it!, and keep it or hide it again for the next hunter.
- Climb the board. Finders earn ranks from Hatchling to Duck Legend. Hiders compete on a weekly all-ships board, and the top hider wins a prize (the current prize and rules are always in the app under Board, Prize rules).
It all works with no Wi-Fi. Hides and finds save on your phone and sync the next time you are connected, so you do not need to buy the ship’s internet package to play.
Print your own cruise duck tags
The app prints a sheet of eight tropical duck tags on regular 8.5 x 11 paper, with your ship and sail date already filled in and a QR code on the front. Anyone who finds your duck scans the tag, lands in the app, and logs the find, which is how your hides count toward the leaderboard. Cut, hole-punch, tie on with ribbon or a rubber band.
Open the free tag printer (works in any browser) or read the free printable cruise duck tags guide.
Why it exists
The app was built by a cruising family that has hidden hundreds of ducks on Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian and Virgin Voyages ships. The tradition is wonderful, but there was no way to know whether your ducks were ever found, and kids ran out of ducks to hunt by day two. Pixie Pals fixes both: hiders see every one of their ducks get found, and hunters always know how many ducks are still hiding on board.
Good duck manners
Cruise ducks are a guest tradition, not a cruise-line program. Keep ducks out of pools and hot tubs, off theater seats and dining tables, away from crew-only doors and anywhere a duck becomes someone else’s cleanup. Hide them where kids can reach safely. If your cruise line asks guests not to hide ducks in certain areas, the app’s hide rules follow the same line. Full guide: What are cruise ducks? The tradition explained.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pixie Pals free?
Yes. No ads, no in-app purchases, no sign-up needed to hunt. Hiders add a display name so finds can be credited, and an email only if they want to be contacted about a prize.
Does it track my location?
No GPS is used on the ship. You tell the app the deck and section where you hid a duck. The app does not share your location with anyone.
Do I need the ship’s Wi-Fi?
No. Play offline all day; the app syncs when you are back on a connection, in port or at home.
Which cruise lines can I play on?
Any ship. The ship picker covers Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, Virgin Voyages, MSC, Celebrity, Princess and more, plus an “other ship” option.
Do my ducks need the app’s tag?
No. Any duck works as long as the hider logs it in the app. The tag is a shortcut so finders who have never heard of the app can scan their way in.
Is this the Cruising Ducks™ Facebook group?
No. Cruising Ducks™ is the community group that popularized the tradition. Pixie Pals is an independent free app and is not affiliated with the group or with any cruise line.