Ducks 101

A viral onboard scavenger hunt where passengers hide small captain rubber ducks in public areas of cruise ships for other guests to find. Spread smiles, create memories, and join thousands of “quackers” sailing the seas!

How to Play Join the Quackers

What Are Cruise Ducks?

It’s like geocaching… but with adorable captain rubber ducks floating across the world’s oceans.

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Passenger-Powered Fun

No cruise line organizes this. Everyday travelers bring captain rubber ducks onboard and hide them for strangers to discover.

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A Real Scavenger Hunt

Captain rubber ducks are tucked into railings, planters, elevators, lounges, and more. Finding one is pure joy — especially for kids!

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Global Community

Hundreds of thousands of “quackers” share finds, decorating tips, and stories in massive online groups every day.

How It Works

Simple, wholesome, and ridiculously fun. Here’s the game in five easy steps.

Bring the Ducks

Pack 10–100 (or more!) captain rubber ducks. Classic yellow captain ones or fancy themed versions — pirates, sailors, holiday ducks… anything goes!

Register your Duck

Visit Ducks101.com, create a free account, and register each captain rubber duck. You’ll receive a unique registration number that lets everyone track your duck’s adventures around the world.

Tag Them

Attach a note with your name, hometown, ship & sailing date, the unique registration number from Ducks101.com, plus the classic message: “Oh what luck, you found a duck! Keep or hide, you decide.”

Hide Them

Place captain rubber ducks in public areas only — elevators, atriums, stairwells, deck chairs, planters. Be creative but respectful.

Find & Share

Hunt for other captain rubber ducks, take a photo, post it (and the registration number) so the original owner can follow the journey on Ducks101.com, then keep your treasure or re-hide it for the next lucky guest.

How It All Began

In 2018, a 10-year-old girl named Abby was heading out on a Carnival cruise from Galveston with her family. She had a simple idea: bring captain rubber ducks and hide them around the ship to make other passengers smile.

They boarded with about 50 captain rubber ducks and hid a handful every day. The reaction was pure magic. People of all ages lit up when they found one.

Her parents started a Facebook group called “Cruising Ducks.” Today that community (and its many spin-offs) has grown to hundreds of thousands of members worldwide — all united by little captain rubber ducks and the joy of making strangers smile at sea.

💛 It started with one girl’s kindness. Now it’s a global phenomenon.

The Golden Rules

Keep the fun going (and the cruise lines happy) by following these simple guidelines.

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Public areas only
Elevators, atriums, lounges, outdoor decks, stairwells — perfect.

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Never hide in
Pools, hot tubs, stores, buffets, restrooms, crew-only areas, or guest staterooms.

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Kid-friendly spots
Don’t place ducks too high or in hard-to-reach places.

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Share the joy
Take a photo and post your finds so the original hider can see their duck’s adventure.

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Check cruise line policy
Some lines (notably Disney & Norwegian) have asked guests not to hide ducks. Always respect the rules of your ship.

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Be kind
This is about spreading happiness. Keep messages positive and fun!

Ready to Become a Quacker?

Whether you’re hiding your first captain rubber duck or hunting for your hundredth, you’re part of one of the happiest communities at sea. Grab some captain rubber ducks, pack your bags, and get ready to make someone’s day.

Start Hiding Ducks Find the Community

Keep or hide… you decide. Just keep the smiles sailing! 🌊