If you’re planning your next cruise and wondering why everyone keeps talking about ducks, you’re in for a treat! Cruising ducks are a fun and quirky tradition where passengers hide rubber ducks around the ship for fellow cruisers to find. It’s an easy way to spread some happiness and create memories during your trip. And the best part? Many of the ducks come with personalized cruising duck tags—little notes letting you know who hid the duck. So how do you take part in the fun? Let’s dive into everything you need to know about cruising ducks, tags, and a free template to get you started!
What Are Cruising Ducks and Why Do They Have Tags?
In its simplest form a cruising duck is a rubber duck. Of course, there are many styles and colors of rubber ducks out there. And that’s half the fun! Cruise guests bring rubber ducks in all shapes and sizes to hide all over the ship. The more creative the hiding spot, the better. In fact, a large part of the game is trying to find the best hiding spot.
Cruise ducks are optional and not sponsored by the cruise line in any way. But they’ve become a fun cruise tradition and have made their way across many cruise lines. Kids go crazy over trying to find these ducks, and adults, well they go crazy over the ducks too.
You can opt to hide ducks, find ducks, or both. Whatever you decide, I should note the all important cruise duck tag.
Why You Need Tags for Your Cruising Ducks
Cruising duck tags are personalized messages that describe the who, what, where, and when.
Who: name of person, persons, or family that hid the duck
What: when you find a duck, what do you do with it
Where: rules around re-hiding the duck
When: ship and/or sail date when the duck was hidden
Duck tags are important for a few reasons:
- They are an important feature because they add a custom touch, and elevate the fun as you try to hunt ducks from different cruisers.
- They help fellow passengers know the origin of the duck.
- They elevate the fun as you try to hunt ducks from different cruisers
- They often have the cruise date and ship name, making them a fun keepsake
- If you have kids, duck hunting will keep them entertained, especially during downtime (a fun game while mom and dad are enjoying a cocktail in the evening)
What to Include on Your Cruising Duck Tags
Duck tags are really “choose your own adventure”. Put whatever you want on the tag. Make it your own. Get creative! Here are some recommendations of what you’ll typically see:
- Your name or family name
- Cruise ship and sailing date
- A fun or friendly message (e.g., “Keep or Hide, You Decide!”)
- A hashtag for social media (#cruisingducks)
Put some personality into your tag. Is it a birthday cruise? Add it! A retirement cruise? Graduation cruise? Throw it on there.
Is cruise duck etiquette a thing?
When crafting your duck tags, it’s pretty low stakes. You have creative license to design them as you wish. However, there are a couple things people typically include on their tags for etiquette
Keep or Hide, You Decide – let your fellow cruisers know they have the option to rehide or keep it for themselves. Those that haven’t researched in advance might not know what to do with the duck (or if they can take it). This little message helps fellow cruisers know what to do with it.
Please hide in public places only. No shops, pools, or hot tubs – another helpful tip for those who may be unfamiliar with cruising ducks. Ensuring ducks aren’t hidden in pools, hot tubs or shops is respectful for crew members trying to keep these areas clean.
Creative Ways to Personalize Your Cruising Duck Tags
The ideas are pretty endless here. You can personalize your cruise duck tags however you see fit. Special event and celebration messages are one way but here are some other ideas:
- Create a theme- pirates, mermaids, Taylor swift. I don’t know. Whatever makes you happy!
- A special message- if ever there was a time to break out those duck puns, it’s now.
- Handwritten vs. printed tags
- Using colorful ribbons or twine to attach the tag to the duck. And if you have kids, this is a great activity to keep them busy pre-cruise
- If it’s a holiday cruise, get festive!
Free Cruising Duck Tag Template
- Now to the good stuff. If you’re totally sold on the cruising duck concept, there are many sources for your tags. You can design your own tags or buy them. Here are a few options if you want to buy and have a quick, physical tag ready to go:
- Carnival themed tags
- Luggage themed duck tags
- Con-quack-ulations tags
- Cute duck design tags
- Passport themed duck tags
- For all of these, you can handwrite all the details – name, date, ship.
- Or you can use our free template and print them yourself. With our template, you can personalize all the details and print at home or use a printing service. This is a good option if you want something unique and don’t want to hand write the tags.
How and Where to Hide Your Ducks on the Cruise
As you might guess, there aren’t too many rules around how and where to hide your cruise ducks. Creativity just adds to the fun! And seeking out the best hiding spots is half the fun. If you are a first timer, there are a couple things to keep in mind:
- Many popular spots to hide ducks include deck chairs, lounges, near elevators, and plants! People love the plants. It’s also a great place to look if you’re duck hunting.
- The only general guideline around hiding is to avoid shops, pools, hot tubs, or dangerous areas. Keep it fun, safe, and respectful and everything else goes!
- It’s a great activity for the whole family or group to determine the best hiding spots. Do it once and you’ll be hooked for any future cruise.
Oh, and the tiny ducks
This is a newish trend in the cruising ducks scene. People buy tiny ducks in bulk and hide them all over the ship as an alternative to rubber ducks. They are appealing because you can get a lot of them for a very reasonable price. And they don’t take up much room in your suitcase. However, there’s no great way to add tags since they are, after all, tiny ducks. These tiny ducks have even expanded into a multitude of styles – cowboy ducks with sunglasses, glow-in-the-dark ducks, or you could even skip right over ducks and bring tiny flamingos.
Kids go nuts looking for, and hiding, those tiny ducks. But we also like the personalization of being able to use the tags. Our typical strategy is to go halfsies. We bring some rubber ducks with tags and a pack of tiny ducks. Why not have the best of both worlds?
Tips for Bringing Ducks and Tags on Your Cruise
- How many ducks should you bring on your cruise? Totally up to you! The first time we brought 25-30. The next time, we brought 80 plus 200 tiny ducks. The question is really “how much room do you have in your suitcase?”
- Print and prep your tags before the cruise. Setting up the tags will usually involve a paper hole punch and some rubber bands to secure the tags. Maybe scissors also. Unless you want to bring all the supplies with you, have them prepped in advance.
- Bring a bag to tote your ducks around when hiding them. We bring a small drawstring bag that can double as a swim bag or a place to put wet swimsuits. You’ll want a method to carry your ducks when hiding them so you aren’t walking around with an armful of ducks. Unless you want every kid on the ship running up to you, in which case, proceed.
Do cruise lines allow hiding ducks?
Super hot topic here that has caused some controversy. People generally fall into one of these two camps:
- People shouldn’t hide ducks because it’s annoying to another passengers, it creates extra mess for crew members to clean, and they can potentially cause damage
- People should be allowed to hide ducks because they are easy to ignore for those that choose not to play, they are fun for passengers (especially kids), and people are respectful with their hiding spots
So where do cruise lines come down on the controversy? Well, it may vary based on cruise line. Here’s the tea:
The folks at Disney Cruise Line have this to say
“According to our policy, guests are allowed to bring rubber ducks onboard,”. “However, it’s important to note that pool toys, including rubber ducks, are not permitted to be used in the pools. Additionally, we kindly request that guests are not allowed to hide items such as rubber ducks in public areas or staterooms.”
And conversely, Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador John Heald had this to say
“I read a few posts this morning, saying that myself, and indeed the cruise line have banned people from hiding ducks. I don’t know where this nonsense comes from so let me say this is simply and respectfully as I can, please. Hiding Ducks. I support it. Carnival supports it,”.
“It brings fun and happiness to many — not everyone — but many. Enjoy hiding them – enjoy finding them. Or indeed, ignore them,”.
So what’s the final verdict? It may depend on your cruise line and risk tolerance. Disney appears to have taken the stance of discouragement, while Carnival embraces it. Royal Caribbean also appears to encourage the tradition. And beyond fellow passengers, cruise lines have released statements that it brings crew members joy to find ducks.
Spread Joy with Your Cruising Ducks!
- Now that you’re in the loop, it’s time to join the fun! You have your tips, your tags, and more than you ever wanted to know about this rubber duck tradition. Whether you’re hiding ducks or hunting ducks, use it as an opportunity to connect with fellow cruisers. And a fun way to bring out the competitive spirit. So make room in your suitcase—and have a quack-tastic time on your cruise!
- Don’t forget, you can grab our FREE cruise duck tag template here.
What’s your take on cruise ducks? Love em? Hate em? Let us know!
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