Ducks! Okay, let’s talk.

[cruisepest]

We are looking at 2 cruise ducks we found last year on the Ruby Princess. We just bought some to hide on our cruise on the Regal Princess in March. Is anyone else hiding ducks on Princess or is this just a Carnival and RCCL thing?

[sfpd3000]

14 minutes ago, cruisepest said:

We are looking at 2 cruise ducks we found last year on the Ruby Princess. We just bought some to hide on our cruise on the Regal Princess in March. Is anyone else hiding ducks on Princess or is this just a Carnival and RCCL thing?

We found three ducks on our Crown Princess cruise last month.

[Bgwest]

30 minutes ago, cruisepest said:

We are looking at 2 cruise ducks we found last year on the Ruby Princess. We just bought some to hide on our cruise on the Regal Princess in March. Is anyone else hiding ducks on Princess or is this just a Carnival and RCCL thing?

YES! 
There are definitely going to be some curmudgeons in the group who poo-poo the whole idea. Nevertheless, we typically take and hide 25 or so ducks depending on the length of the cruise. 
A lot of fun for both the giver and the recipient. 
We typically hold out a few without tags to give to some of the young kids that we see while on board. After, of course, getting permission from the parent.

Definitely a “Princess thing”. 

[rdsqrl]

There was a duck sitting in the Christmas tree at Crooner's on the Ruby this past December.  You had to have been sitting at the table in the corner by the tree to even see it. I left it there -- I think it was there for two nights before it disappeared.  He made a fine drinking companion -- quiet, bought his own drinks, didn't bug me to dance -- so I was sorry he flew the coop.  That was the only duck I've ever run across. 

[AnyMajorCruiseDude]

When our toilet didn't work, the responding plumber found two ducks in the pipes.

[charliedalrymple]

I've never actively looked for ducks on board but always hoped that I might randomly spot one. Never did.  Just how "hidden" are they?

[Clek]

On the World Cruise right now there are Itty bitty ducks being hidden  like 2 inches high and another person crocheted bigger ducks and hid them.

[cr8tiv1]

One was delivered to my room (outside of my door).  Have no idea why I was randomly selected.  Easy find (lol).  

 

My waiter was given several on my last cruise by another guest.  He was having so much fun with them.  

 

They DO bring a smile to many.  

 

 

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

Having sailed with Princess 5 times now I am surprised that I hadn't heard of the ducks until now. I certainly haven't seen one on board yet.

 

It sounds like fun but is it frowned upon by the crew or do they generally tolerate it?

 

Where do people hide them? How hidden? How many do people take? Where do you get them? What do you do when you find one?

 

This is a whole new angle to cruising for me... a bit like geocaching on a ship but without the complication of using GPS!

Edited March 4 by Snaxmuppet

[CruiseCrabs]

5 hours ago, cruisepest said:

We are looking at 2 cruise ducks we found last year on the Ruby Princess. We just bought some to hide on our cruise on the Regal Princess in March. Is anyone else hiding ducks on Princess or is this just a Carnival and RCCL thing?

We make and hide wee felted wool crabs (profile image). They have a great message on their passports about not being crabby on a cruise and staff and passengers seem to love them. Three crabs per day tends to be the average but you need to figure out the magic number for whatever you are doing. 

[MacMadame]

28 minutes ago, Snaxmuppet said:

It sounds like fun but is it frowned upon by the crew or do they generally tolerate it?

Depends. Disney recently announced that ducks were banned. Carnival then announced that of course, they weren't banning them. Princess was silent. LOL

Though, in the "this is why we can't have nice things" department, some dude was hiding ducks with an attached card that advertised his business and that caused a stink because there is no solicitation allowed on the ship.

 

Anyway, it's a cruising thing, not a Princess thing. Here's an article about it:
https://cruiseradio.net/everything-you-need-to-know-about-cruise-ducks/

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

I have found this web app to register your ducks and report a find.

 

Love it!

 

https://duckpassport.com/

Edited March 4 by Snaxmuppet

[cr8tiv1]

If you are interested in being a "distributor", google Amazon ducks.  They come in many different sizes and colors.  I personally have not partaken in this ritual, but love the concept.  No room in my luggage for extras.  I know, makes room for your souvenirs.  I've approached the age of look, enjoy, and leave behind.  

[dreaminofcruisin]

I've never really looked for ducks in the past. However, we had the grandkids on a cruise with us in February on the Sky. We found them 2 ducks----actually not very hidden....

There was also a nice woman who came up to them in the dining room and gave them each a duck pin. Quite a nice thing to do I thought. 🙂

 

Of course, now that Churchill's is an arcade, one can also buy ducks in the grabber machine there if you don't find any.....  😁

[Cruise Raider]

I’m beginning to cave as my DH loves those little ducks and has found quite a few of them.  It’s almost like collecting throws at a Mardi Gras parade. 
The crew absolutely love the collecting the ducks.  
However, I want to see these little ducks made out of bird seed or at least something that won’t cause any trouble in our environment! 
 

[disneyochem]

Hubby has found numerous ducks onboard a Princess ship—me, not a single one!  He’s tall (6’4”) and has been able to see ducks that have been place up high.

 

We take them to our cabin and ask our steward if he/she/they want the ducks.  If not, then we put them back.  They’re cute and certainly elicit a smile.

[nasa1974]

I was on an RCL ship last year and a young girl about 8 found one and went crazy because she found the duck. She was so excited. Her mother told her she could keep it until she found another one and then would have to hide one again. 

[voljeep]

not just a cruise thing - it's also a JEEP thing - you wouldn't understand.

DUCK DUCK JEEP!  ( just placed on a Jeep windshield, not hidden of course )

 

and yes, we have found and taken ducks on a cruise

[cruisepest]

Thanks Snaxmuppet,

6 hours ago, Snaxmuppet said:

I have found this web app to register your ducks and report a find.

 

Love it!

 

https://duckpassport.com/

 

The duckpassport page was great. I was able to name, register, printout tags and release my ducks on it. You can even report any found ducks on it. 

Edited March 4 by cruisepest
spelling

[555]

What happens if you hide a duck on a Disney ship?

[PMGS247]

24 minutes ago, 555 said:

What happens if you hide a duck on a Disney ship?

 

You quickly learn Mickey has a dark side.

 

I have no idea lol

[Crookshanks]

8 hours ago, Snaxmuppet said:

 

 

It sounds like fun but is it frowned upon by the crew or do they generally tolerate it?

 

 

The only time I've seen the crew unhappy about the ducks is when they found a few stuck in the bulkhead gaps in the cabin hallways.  They said it's a safety hazard because it could prevent the doors from closing.

 

Other places they request you not put them is on stairways so people don't trip on them, but that's somewhat obvious. 

[voljeep]

34 minutes ago, Crookshanks said:

Other places they request you not put them is on stairways so people don't trip on them, but that's somewhat obvious. 

prolly wasn't to the person that tripped on the stairs

[Mud_Shark]

1) Our guest lecturer on our Pacific crossing was hiding ducks every day.  So maybe not exactly staff, but close to it.

2) In Australia, we found some ducks on our cruise and their tags had a link to a social media page where you were to post where you found the duck and then if you wanted, re-hide it and post that is was travelling again.  Some ducks had been on multiple cruises.  We took the ones we found on the Royal Princess and hid them on the Majestic Princess.

[Musky Ike]

6 minutes ago, Mud_Shark said:

1) Our guest lecturer on our Pacific crossing was hiding ducks every day.  So maybe not exactly staff, but close to it.

2) In Australia, we found some ducks on our cruise and their tags had a link to a social media page where you were to post where you found the duck and then if you wanted, re-hide it and post that is was travelling again.  Some ducks had been on multiple cruises.  We took the ones we found on the Royal Princess and hid them on the Majestic Princess.

I like that idea. Kind of like the "where's George" link on some us currency, you can follow their travels. Maybe you will find them again as elite ducks someday.