Cruises: Why toy ducks are hidden around cruise ships

The next time you’re on a cruiseIf you see a little yellow duck sitting on top of a photo, or sitting on a railing, don’t be alarmed.

It’s probably a cruising duck

A tradition that is said to have been started by an American child around 2018. It’s a scavenger hunt-style pastime popular on cruises.

It sees enthusiastic cruisers hiding ducks on board, which finders can then take with them and keep.

Or they can hide their gold find again on that ship – or even on another ship.

Many are tagged with the details of their ‘hider’, and finders can also post their duck discoveries online.

Some ducks are even ‘dressed up’, for example as sailors, and there are also small ducks that you find in the bath.

Fans have even knitted their own ducks, others have named them, and some cruise experts have even created their own “brand” ducks.

The global Cruising Ducks Facebook page has nearly 280,000 members, while the Australian one grows by more than 27,000.

It is run by Gabrielle from Sydney.

Gabrielle – who did not want to share her last name – has been on more than 50 cruises.

She first encountered the trend in America and founded the Cruising Ducks Australia Facebook page in 2019.

”The first time I found a duck, I was in America in 2017 on a cruise and I found a duck and it had something written on it like ‘spreading joy duck for one’ and I thought that would be so fun to do cruises back home,” she tells 9Travel.

“It’s a bit of light-hearted and innocent fun.”

Some of her ducks have made their way to Antarctica, while others have turned up in Mexico and Alaska.

She says she never goes hunting for ducks, but just comes across them

“It just creates joy,” she tells us.

While many cruise lines love this pastime and even sell the creatures on board, not all are so enthusiastic.

According to reports, Disney Cruise Line is discouraging guests from hiding ducks on board its ships. Crew members remove ducks as they find them, Plan Disney reported.