Carnival Cruise Line Speaks Out on a Secret Cruising Tradition

It happens on Royal Caribbean ships, too, but Carnival has openly addressed customer concerns over an alleged practice.

People who cruise have a lot of rituals and practices that make cruising a bit of a special club. 

Some people have cheats when it comes to how they set up their rooms, like bringing magnetic hooks or an over-the-door shoe bag. Others have bulk-ordered lanyards to hold their room keys; they buy them on Amazon by the dozen for less than the cost of a single one on board.

Some cruise hacks are more secret than others as are some unofficial onboard activities. Most things you can do on a cruise ship ;are listed on the daily schedule, called the Compass on Royal Caribbean  (RCL) - Get Free Reportships and Fun Time on Carnival Cruise Line  (CCL) - Get Free Report ships. 

There are, however, some other activities that happen on most sailings but aren't part of the cruise lines' official plans.

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This can include pub crawls, sailaway meetings, slot pulls, and all sorts of other activities. In addition to those activities, there's a sort of secret practice on cruise ships where people (usually families traveling with children) bring small rubber ducks to hide around the ship.

Sometimes the ducks have been specially decorated. And there are variations, where painted rocks or some other small item is hidden. But generally it's rubber ducks. 

Now, Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald has commented on a rumor about the popular practice.

Carnival Comments On Hidden Ducks 

In his usual lightly comedic style, Heald reluctantly addressed rumors about the practice of this sort of unofficial duck scavenger hunt.

"I have to talk about ducks...again. I wish it was the delicious crispy kind served with pancakes at JiJi and ChiBang but instead it’s the rubber kind that many people love to hide around the ship," he said,

The brand ambassador made clear that a key rumor about how crew members handle the ducks when they happen upon them is simply not true.

"There is now a dedicated Facebook page where anti-duckers are suggesting that crew are finding them and throwing them overboard. The duckers are also saying guests do the same," he wrote.

That's not what's happening on Carnival's cruise ships. 

"Their intentions are good and honourable as they want to protect the environment and the oceans and the creatures that live there. On that we are aligned as environmental protection is something we are 100% committed to. 

"However, this alleged speculation seems to be some speculation that the crew do not support this and throw them away at the earliest possibility. This is completely untrue," he added.

Throwing the ducks overboard would violate Carnival's policies.

"Let me say this, If any crew member throws anything overboard they would be in serious trouble and would for sure face disciplinary action," he typed.

Carnival Crew Members Support Many Unofficial Activities

Just because the cruise line did not schedule an activity does not mean it doesn't support it. 

Casino hosts, for example, might help a passenger who organized a slot pull get the correct change needed to split any potential winnings. In addition, while neither Carnival nor Royal Caribbean sponsors pub crawls, they certainly don't discourage them. (Virgin Voyages offers them on its ships for a price.)

Carnival crew members actually like to participate in the duck hunts, or at least enjoy it when they stumble upon them.

"And I should say also that many of the crew love finding the ducks and have them in their cabins as they bring them cheer. So there you go, many of you were asking about this and I hope my response will help the duckers and the duck lovers," Heald wrote.

When you find a duck onboard, traditionally there are two options. Some people (usually kids) keep the duck as a keepsake from their cruise. Others will share a photo of the duck on the Facebook or other web or social media groups for that cruise and then hide it again for someone else to find.