Let’s talk about duck hunting. No camo, no waders, no shotguns. The kind of duck hunting we mean involves a tiny rubber duck, a tag with somebody’s hometown on it and a very excited kid (or a very excited adult) shouting “I found one!” somewhere near the buffet.
Cruise ducks have gone from a sweet idea in 2018 to a full-blown pastime for kids and adults alike, with the original Cruising Ducks Facebook group having over 330,000 members. If you’ve cruised lately, you’ve probably found a duck, hidden one or watched a family sprint across the atrium after one.
So we made something to help you join the fun. The Great Cruise Duck Adventure is a free printable activity guide for kids and grown-ups, starring Captain Waddles, the world’s most dapper rubber duck. It’s ready to download right now.
What’s Inside the Guide
Every page is labeled Everyone, Kids or Grown-ups, so you can pick what suits your crew.
How to Use It
Print the pages you want on standard letter size paper (8.5 x 11 inches), and grab extra copies of the logs and state tracker for anyone who’s playing along.
Fill out the Duck Detective ID, read the Captain’s Duck Code together and pick a few hiding spots. Cut out a stack of tags, punch the holes and tie them onto your ducks. It’s a great countdown activity for the weeks before your cruise, and while you’re at it, our free cruise planning tools can help with the packing list too.
Take the logs and bingo card along. Log every duck you find in the Ducks Found Log and every duck you hide in the Ducks Hidden Log. Sea days are perfect for the word searches, the maze and the Color and Find page.
Fill in the Trip Recap, count up your ducks and states and present the Cruise Duck Detective certificate to your favorite ducker. It makes a nice keepsake for the memory box.
One last reminder from Captain Waddles himself: check your cruise line’s current rules before you hide any ducks aboard!
How a Bag of 50 Ducks Started It All
Legend has it, hiding ducks on cruise ships began in 2018, when a girl named Abby Davis asked her mom if she could bring rubber ducks on a seven day spring break cruise out of Galveston. They packed 50, hid them around the ship and watched people of all ages have a blast hunting for them.
The game is simple. You hide a duck (usually with a tag saying who you are and where you’re from), and whoever finds it can keep it or rehide it for the next lucky cruiser. Snap a photo, share it if you like, and pass the fun along.
The Basic Rules of Duck Hiding
There’s no official rulebook, but longtime duck hiders (and hunters) agree on a few common sense guidelines. The short version is to be respectful, be safe and don’t make extra work for anyone. The Captain’s Duck Code in the guide covers these too.
- Public places only.
Cabins, crew areas and restricted spaces are off limits. - Keep clear of safety gear.
Lifeboats, life jackets, stairs and doors are no place for a duck. - No pools, hot tubs or shops.
Nobody should lean over water for a duck, and a duck in a store display can make an innocent finder look like a shoplifter. - Nothing overboard.
Skip windy spots and railings. A duck in the ocean is litter. - Family friendly tags.
You never know who’s going to pick up your duck. - Hide in plain sight.
If someone has to move a towel, a book or a plant to find it, it’s hidden too well. - Tiny ducks need big eyes.
Small ducks can be a choking hazard for children under three, so grown-ups should keep a close watch. - Be a great shipmate.
Keep walkways clear, don’t trample the decor and leave the ship nicer than you found it.
Above all, be a good shipmate. Respect the ship, the crew and your fellow guests.
The Best Places to Hide a Cruise Duck
Good hiding spots are easy to reach, easy to spot once you’re looking and nowhere near anything the crew needs to clean or anyone needs in an emergency. These are the ones Captain Waddles likes best:
- A library or game room shelf
- The rim of an atrium planter (never in the dirt)
- Under a promenade bench
- A corner of the mini golf course
- An arcade or game room table
- A lounge coffee table
- A ledge in the theater lobby
- A ledge along the photo gallery wall
- Seating near the elevator lobby
- A window ledge in the fitness center
- A corner of the sports court fence
- A landing ledge (never on the steps)
- A sheltered deck chair cushion
- An atrium bench
What to Write on a Cruise Duck Tag
A tag turns a plastic duck into a little hello from another family. Keep it short and friendly, add your first name, home state or country and the date, and you’re set. Need a starting point? Try one of these:
- “Quack! I’m cruising from Ohio. Keep me or rehide me!”
- “You found me! Pass the fun along and hide me again.”
- “I’ve sailed on three ships. Where will I go next?”
- “Celebrating a birthday at sea. Have a duck on us!”
- “Snap my picture and share it with our duck group.”
- “Our family says hi from Texas. Safe travels!”
The guide has a full page of cut-out tags on page 16, so you won’t need to make your own. And when you find a duck, snap a photo with the tag showing and the ship or ocean in the background. You’ll thank yourself later.
Which Cruise Lines Say No?
Here’s the good news: most mainstream cruise lines are fine with cruise ducks, and Carnival, where it all started, has been openly friendly to the tradition. There’s no industry wide ban. But a few lines have drawn some lines of their own, and they look like this:
None of these lines lists ducks as a prohibited item, but they’ve made their wishes clear, so respect them. If enough hiders ignore the rules, more lines could crack down. Policies change, so take a minute to check your cruise line’s current guidelines before you pack the ducks.
The Crew Love Them Too (Mostly)
Ask around and you’ll hear the same thing again and again: crew members get a kick out of duck hunting too. In general, they enjoy finding ducks and will sometimes keep one or hide it again for someone else. It’s one of those small moments that makes a long contract at sea a little brighter.
That goodwill has limits, of course. On lines that ask guests not to hide ducks, crew may be told to pick them up, and nobody wants to give the crew extra work. Skip the spots that are hard to clean around, and if your line is duck friendly, try a tag with a thank you note for the crew. It’s a nice touch.
Looking for more ways to make the most of your sailing? Browse our cruise tips and articles.
