Cruise Ducks: Why There’s a Tiny Rubber Duck Hidden on Your Ship

If you’ve ever spotted a small rubber duck tucked behind a planter or sitting on a shelf in the buffet and wondered what it was doing there, you’ve stumbled onto one of cruising’s most beloved traditions. It’s not a leftover toy. Someone hid it there on purpose.

Where it actually started

This whole thing traces back to a 7-night Carnival cruise out of Galveston in 2018. A 10-year-old girl named Abby Davis asked her mom if she could bring rubber ducks to hide on the ship, and her mom bought 50 of them for the trip. Abby hid them around the ship, the idea caught on, and her family started a Facebook group called Cruising Ducks to keep track of it all. That group now has well over 250,000 members, and a separate Carnival-specific group has tens of thousands more.

How it works

Most cruise ducks come with a small, often homemade tag listing the ship name, sail date, and a message along the lines of “keep or hide, you decide.” Some tags include a family name, a social media hashtag, or even a QR code inviting whoever finds it to post a photo in the Facebook group. If you find one, you’ve got two options: keep it as a souvenir, or update the tag and hide it somewhere else for the next person to discover. Either way, it’s basically a ship-wide game of hide-and-seek that’s been running continuously for years across thousands of sailings.

The unofficial rules

Hide ducks only in public areas, never inside shops, pools, hot tubs, spas, or anywhere near emergency equipment. Avoid anywhere a duck could realistically end up overboard. Beyond that, it’s a pretty loose, good-natured game; lounge chairs, behind décor, on top of a stack of magazines, are all fair territory.

Does Carnival actually allow it?

Yes. Carnival’s brand ambassador, John Heald, has said directly that the line has no problem with the tradition: “I support it. Carnival supports it.” He’s noted that plenty of crew members genuinely enjoy finding the ducks and keeping them in their cabins. Not every cruise line feels the same way. Disney has asked guests not to hide anything, including ducks, and Norwegian has discouraged doing so as well. But Carnival, where the whole thing started, remains one of the most welcoming lines for it.

Should you join in?

If you want to participate, pick up a pack of small rubber ducks before your cruise; plenty of sellers online offer themed sets, and attach a simple tag with your info and a note for whoever finds it. It costs almost nothing, takes a few minutes to set up, and adds a small layer of fun to a sea day. You don’t have to bring your own to enjoy it either. Keep an eye out around the ship, and odds are good you’ll spot at least one before your cruise ends.

Questions about anything else worth knowing before your sailing? Reach out anytime.

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Resources & Official Links

• Cruising Ducks – Original Facebook Group — The original community with 250,000+ members
• Carnival Cruising Ducks Facebook Group — Carnival-specific duck hiding and finding community
• Amazon – Cruise Duck Packs — Buy bulk rubber ducks for your sailing
• Carnival.com — Official Carnival Cruise Line website