Everything You Need To Know About Carnival’s Cruising Ducks!

If you are new to the cruising circuit, you may be asking yourself, “What are cruising ducks?” Around about five years ago, a ten year old girl named Abby Davis was getting ready to cruise on Carnival Breeze. She thought it would be a fun idea to leave toy ducks around the ship for others to find. With the help of her mother, Ashley Davis, and 50 ducks later, the idea of cruising ducks was born! If you are interested in playing the game or you are just simply curious, you are in the right spot! Here is everything you need to know about Cruising Ducks!

Do I Have To Play?
No. No one is required to play. However, I will say this. I will be thirty years old in a matter of days. We did not participate in the Cruising Duck game until Spring Break of this year. We were taking my son and nieces on their first cruise and thought it may be something they’d enjoy. They had a great time playing the game but I’m pretty sure we had just as much fun, if not more! We will definitely be bringing ducks to hide on all of our future cruises, even if we are leaving the kiddos at home!

What am I supposed to do if I find a duck?
Once you find a duck, what you do with it is up to you! There will most likely be something on the tag encouraging you to take a photo of the duck and post it on Social Media. This is just a fun way for people to find out where their ducks end up! After you’ve posted it, if you chose to, you can either keep your duck or hide it again for someone else to find!

Where do I post the picture of my duck?
Sometimes, you will come across a duck with a tag giving you specifics on where the hider would like for you to send the picture. However, if that’s not the case for the duck you have found, you can share your photo on the Official Cruising Ducks Facebook group!

Does it have to be a rubber duck?
Not necessarily. It’s true that in most cases, people will choose to hide rubber ducks however, you are not limited to rubber ducks alone. I have seen several people, myself included, hide duck key chains! I have also seen people hide store bought stuffed animals as well as hand made crocheted ducks. Some people have even 3D-Printed or hand painted their ducks! You can really be creative when it comes to what type of duck you choose to hide. However, I would like to remind everyone to please make sure that what you are hiding is kid friendly and safe for all ages!

Do I have to actually “hide” my ducks?
No. Although most people choose to hide their duck, you can also give them to people directly! On our most recent cruise, we passed two little girls that were dressed as unicorns. It just so happened, some of the ducks I had purchased were unicorn ducks. Because of the coincidence, I decided to give them to those little girls directly. To me, it was just as fun as hiding them because I got to see first hand how excited they were to receive them! Some of the staff also enjoy receiving them!

Where do I get the duck tags?
​You can choose to either purchase your duck tags or if you are feeling crafty, you can make them yourself. I have found that both ways seem to be equally popular. However, if you are going to be hiding a large amount of ducks, in my opinion, it would be much easier to purchase them in bulk. The only in the above photo are sold on Amazon and for $12.99, you will get 50 tags.

What do you write on the tags?
Typically, you will want to include the name of the person hiding the duck, the name of the ship you are on, the date you are setting sail and the rules for the game. Some people choose to include instructions on what they’d like for you to do with the photo of the duck.

How do I attach the tag?
You can secure the tag to your duck anyway that you would like. However, I have found that two ways in particular seem to be the most popular. The first being a rubber band. You simply put a rubber band through the hole at the end of the tag. You will want to slide the tag to the middle of the rubber band. Then, you can bring the two ends of the rubber band together and slip them over the head of the duck. Another popular way seems to be using pipe cleaners. Like before, you will stick the pipe cleaner through the hole at the end of the tag. You will slide the tag to the middle of the pipe cleaner and simply twist the pipe cleaner around the neck of your duck. Similar to how you would close a load of bread with a twist tie.

Where do I purchase the ducks?
You can start by checking your local stores. In the past, I have found them at Walmart, Dollar Tree, Hobby Lobby, as well as at Five Below. Most times, you can find them in the party section (baby shower section specifically) and the baby section with the bath toys. However, if you are wanting to purchase a large amount of ducks to hide, an amazon bundle may be better for you financially. It’s also convenient because some of them already include the tags and rubber bands!

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