Carnival Cruise Line Officially Embraces Duck-Hiding Craze – But Not Everyone’s Happy About It

If you’ve been on a cruise recently, there’s a good chance you’ve stumbled across one of the hottest trends at sea: hiding rubber ducks. Yep, you read that right. Duck-hiding has become the thing to do on family-friendly cruise lines, and Carnival Cruise Line just made it semi-official with the introduction of their very own mascot, Ducky the Duck.

Here’s how it works: passengers buy rubber ducks, decorate them, and hide them all over the ship for others to find. Some enthusiasts take it up a notch, attaching little cards with their social media handles so the lucky finders can share pics of their duck discoveries online.

The duck craze is especially popular on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, and Disney Cruise Line ships. Most cruise lines just roll with it, but Carnival decided to lean in late last year.

Back in November Carnival’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, proudly introduced Ducky the Duck as part of the phenomenon, describing it as a “brilliant and fun addition” to their ships.

Not Everyone’s on Board

Now, you’d think this would be an innocent bit of fun, but some passengers aren’t having it. Heald recently took to Facebook to share his confusion about the anti-duck brigade.

His post sparked a frenzy, racking up over 8,400 comments and proving just how divisive this little cruise tradition has become.

“People that hide ducks for others to find do so because they love to give other people a little dollop of happiness and joy,” he wrote. “I understand that it’s not for everyone, but I don’t get why some folks are adamant that we ban this cruise phenomenon immediately.”

Heald even asked his followers for feedback: “Why do people keep writing to me, saying they want them banned? Thoughts, please?”

Facebook Fans Quack Back

As you can imagine, the duck defenders came out in full force. One follower shared how finding ducks during a cruise made her smile during a tough time battling cancer. Now, she hides them herself to spread the joy.

Jennifer chimed in with a live-and-let-live attitude: “It brings others joy; it doesn’t affect me, so go right ahead. It’s not like there are ducks everywhere. They are ‘hidden.’”

Another follower summed it up with, “Some people cannot be happy. They have to find something to complain about. I personally don’t hide ducks, but when I find one, it makes me smile!”

The overwhelming sentiment? If you don’t like the ducks, just ignore them and move on. As one commenter put it: “Ducks are fine. Ban people that complain about stuff that doesn’t impact them.”

Final Quack

While it’s clear most passengers love the duck trend, the anti-duck crew remains a mystery. Maybe they just need to lighten up—or, you know, find a duck and let it bring a little joy to their day. After all, it’s not like the crew’s hiding ducks in your drink or your cabin’s ice bucket.

So, whether you’re Team Duck or Team Buzzkill, it’s safe to say the quacky trend is here to stay. Ducky the Duck is already making appearances on select Carnival ships, spreading smiles one rubber friend at a time.

Now, who’s ready to go duck hunting?

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