Major Cruise Lines Are Restricting This Popular On-Board Tradition (And Passengers Are Not Happy)

For people who really love cruises, there are any number of traditions that come with frequent sailings, like door decorating and matching T-shirts, which can be a fun way to express your personality and connect with other passengers. However, cruise lines aren't always happy with everything that passengers do. More and more ships are requesting an end to the tradition of hiding small rubber ducks around the ship for other passengers to find.

In August 2026, a Facebook user shared a notice from Marella Cruises, informing passengers that they didn't want people hiding rubber ducks around the ships anymore. The photo of the statement reads, "As much as we love a bit of personality, the ducks have started to drive us quackers... so we kindly ask that toys, novelty items and other personal bits aren't left or hidden around the ship or at our destinations."

This restriction adds to the list of things you used to be able to do on cruise ships that you can't anymore, and Marella Cruises isn't alone. Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean also aren't fans of the rubber duck hiding, according to Cruise Hive. In early 2024, Disney asked passengers not to hide them in public areas or staterooms. It's hard to think of what, if any, spaces would then be left as open grounds for rubber ducks, but passengers could always just gift and exchange them person to person. As for Royal Caribbean, the company has specifically banned ducks from the Central Park neighborhoods on some of its ships because of damage to plants and landscaping, via Shipcation, though this may leave other public areas available for hiding at this time. 

As for why the ducks aren't welcome anymore on some cruise lines, it boils down to both a safety and sustainability issue, at least for Marella Cruises. The notice on Facebook includes: "While it's all meant in good spirit, these can become hazards and are usually disposed of by our crew. We're also working hard to cut down on plastics and waste, so leaving things behind doesn't quite match that effort." Other cruise ships also share this concern, warranting the restrictions.

The trend of hiding rubber ducks on cruise ships has been going on for years. According to Le Petit Duck Shoppe's blog, in 2018, a 10-year-old girl and her father hid about 50 ducks around the boat on her family's Carnival cruise, and people loved this impromptu scavenger hunt so much that it became a trend, boosted by social media. Some passengers have fallen in love with the tradition of leaving and finding rubber ducks on ships, and they aren't happy that some cruise lines are asking passengers to stop. One person on Facebook comments, "This past February I hid one in plain sight of a mom and her toddler. Pointed it out to the mom. The toddler's face when he found it? It was awesome. He was so happy." Another Facebook user laments, "Noooooo! That's part of the fun. Looking for ducks."

At this point, it doesn't seem that rubber ducks will be confiscated before you board the ship, as most policies are simply restrictions. But go ahead and save room in your bag for souvenirs and leave the ducks at home if you're on one of the cruise lines that has specifically asked passengers not to hide them.