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Many frequent cruisers are familiar with the cruising ducks phenomenon, but one major cruise line now has a policy discouraging the guest-led scavenger hunt. Disney Cruise Line is requesting that guests not hide the ducks in either public areas or staterooms, which effectively eliminates the activity. This activity transforms the cruise ship into a massive scavenger hunt without any clues, fostering a sense of surprise and community among passengers.
Do cruise lines allow rubber ducks to be hidden?
Cruise ducks: Why travelers are hiding rubber ducks on ships - Chron
Cruise ducks: Why travelers are hiding rubber ducks on ships.
Posted: Mon, 07 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Personalizing your cruise duck is a fun activity, with stickers and various decorations available to make your duck truly unique. Whether you’re adding a bit of bling or going for a more casual look, customizing your duck allows you to express your personality and style in a playful way. For the more experienced duck fanatic, Etsy is a great platform to find even more unique and personalized cruising ducks. On Etsy, you can discover lots of different ducks and tags created by talented artists and crafters. If you are new to the cruise duck phenomenon, you will probably scratch your head and wonder where people buy these little ducks. Well if turns out that due to their popularity, you can buy them in lots of places.
You can either purchase basic rubber ducks or get some with a specific theme
Often adorned with eye patches, tiny pirate hats, and even miniature treasure maps, these delightful duckies bring an element of whimsy to any voyage. It’s also been suggested that cruising ducks are a distant relative of the painted-rocks phenomenon, essentially a landlocked version of the same game. The main purpose of hiding and finding these ducks is to spread joy and foster a sense of community among passengers.
Hiding Places
I’ve scrolled through a few and have seen so any great ideas for ducks and tags. If you like the passport printable shown in the above photo, Dee has kindly created a printable which is available in the Cruising Ducks – Original Group Facebook community. While there are always those who hate ducks and think the practice should be banned, no cruise line has yet added “little rubber ducks” to its list of prohibited items. When you find a duck, the choice is yours whether or not to keep it or hide it again for someone else to enjoy, with no judgment about which you choose.
What Is the Cruise Duck Phenomenon?
With a garden of plants, trees, and shaded places, it’s easy to tuck away these adorable stowaways. Once you have decided that you want to participate in the cruising tradition of hiding rubber ducks, you'll need to plan out where exactly you want to hide them. Critics have several complaints about the cruise ducks phenomenon. Some worry that if too many ducks are hidden, it could lead to clutter and a messy ship environment. Concerns also extend to environmental impact, fearing that ducks might be accidentally thrown into the ocean, contributing to plastic pollution.
How do you participate in cruising duck activities?
When hiding your ducks, make sure they’re visible and not tucked away somewhere inaccessible. And if you find a duck, capture a photo and share it on the Cruising Ducks Facebook group. This is a great way to connect with other players and keep a record of all your finds. Hiding your little rubber friends can be an enjoyable challenge and an engaging game of hide-and-seek for passengers. As someone who spends too much time looking for the best cruise ducks, I can recommend and trust a few sources I have used. Sometimes the ducks are adorned with a tag or label of the person/family that placed them or the date of the cruise and the ship.
Guidelines for Hiding Ducks
Whether you're a hunter, hider, or both, it can be a fun family affair to encourage everyone to spend time together. Tags are usually attached with simple rubber bands and the tags are normally laminated or made from durable material. You can either keep the duck as a souvenir from your trip or re-hide it for someone else to discover. These ducks typically have cards attached to them (or “tags” as they are known) containing the names of the people who hid them and where those people came from.
Cruise culture: Why people hide rubber ducks on ships - USA TODAY
Cruise culture: Why people hide rubber ducks on ships.
Posted: Fri, 09 Jun 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
For example, the ‘Cruise Ducks – Original Group’ on Facebook has many you can use. If you’re feeling creative, there’s also the option to decorate or make your own ducks from scratch, although this could be too much work for some. Also, make sure that the tags or labels on your ducks are family-friendly, with no inappropriate content, as people of all ages may find them. This helps keep the game fun and suitable for everyone on board. Plus, you can request custom designs on tags to match the theme of your cruise or to have a more personalized touch.
You might be surprised to find more varieties than you ever could have imagined. Buy standard ducks to paint or accessorize to make them your own or look to sites like Etsy for custom premade designs. Ducks can generally be hidden in public spaces on cruise ships except for pools, spas, or shops. Before a cruise, passengers will purchase (or craft) ducks to hide around the ship for others to find.
The private social media page has more than 148,000 members who share everything from photos of ducks found to crafting tips and ideas for how to create or decorate your own ducks. We’re pulling back the curtain on the mystery of cruise ducks, including how to find one, how to hide one, and how it all started. It was still fun for the kids and a great lesson in doing things for others, with nothing expected in return. Several passengers posted photos of the ducks in a Facebook group we joined for the cruise, and the smiles on their faces were totally worth it.
Your fellow cruisers will appreciate your effort and enjoy the excitement of finding your little quacky friends hidden around the ship. Cruising ducks have become a popular and fun activity for passengers aboard cruise ships on almost every major cruise line. So what it boils down to is this, Cruising Ducks is essentially a scavenger hunt involving rubber ducks, where passengers hide and seek these adorable toys around the ship. In a trend that isn’t quite clear where it started but has spread like wildfire thanks to social media, everyday passengers bring small rubber duckies with them onto the ship. They then plant these ducks around the ship in little hiding places that can be anywhere from the dining room to a lounge to the pool deck. If it’s a public place on the ship, there’s a chance that a duck is hidden somewhere.
Note that Disney Cruise line has recently discouraged hiding ducks. Or just want a rubber ducky in your home because they’re adorable? Here’s a list of some Facebook groups I found which will have posts from people sharing the ducks they’ve made and are ready to hide, and others who have found them and posted. Some crew say they bring a couple home to their children when they finish their contract. Remember that you don’t want any ducks to go into the ocean, so never hide them on outer railings or anywhere where a gust of wind can blow them off the ship. Some guests report seeing ducks discarded in the trash, though this was more frequent when the game was less well-known than today.
After you’ve spent time following these tips and hopefully finding some cruise ducks, remember to share your success and experiences with others. Posting your finds on social media or cruise forums not only spreads joy but also encourages more passengers to participate in this fun activity. If you hide a duck, consider leaving hints for others to find it. Now, people from all over bring rubber duckies with them to hide on their cruise vacations. It’s fun for people who hide cruising ducks to see that they’re found, and they may include an instruction to post a photo to a cruising duck facebook page or to use a hashtag #cruisingducks.
Many cruisers have created Facebook groups where you can share your findings and connect with other passengers who hide and search for cruising ducks. This isn’t necessarily a scavenger hunt, so there aren’t normally any clues for where find the ducks. The more you explore, the more you are likely to comes across a hidden cruise duck. However, if you are a member of the Cruising Ducks Facebook group, you can scout where members are hiding them to see if you will be onboard any of the same sailings.
They are hidden around cruise ships in a fun, passenger-led game of hide-and-seek. After you’ve hidden your rubber duck, it’s a joy to think about who might find it. The act of hiding and seeking cruise ducks creates a shared experience of surprise and delight, bringing together the community of cruisers in a unique and playful way. It’s a small gesture that can add a memorable twist to someone’s cruise. Hiding rubber ducks on cruise ships is a fun way to connect with other passengers on your next sailing, as well as a fun pastime on sea days.
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