Another Cruise Line Asks Guests to Leave Ducks at Home

The cruising ducks phenomenon has flocks of fans, but not every cruise line is welcoming these feathered friends. Guests onboard Marella Cruises have noticed new advisories in printed newsletters requesting that guests not bring the unauthorized activity onboard.

Specifically, guests on Marella Voyager have spotted the advisory. The 1,912-guest ship is currently homeported from Corfu, Greece, offering 8-night roundtrip Adriatic Sea itineraries. The ship most recently departed on Friday, August 7, 2026, with port visits planned in Croatia, Montenegro, and Slovenia.

The newsletter’s admonishment against ducks was shared on Facebook on August 9. These types of announcements are often reprinted in multiple newsletters to advise guests about onboard policies, and may be the same on multiple ships and sailings.

“As much as we love a bit of personality, the ducks have started to drive us quackers…” the newsletter said. “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 would cover not only the standard rubber bath toy ducks or the tiny acrylic ducks, but also different duck-themed items such as keychains, earrings, bracelets, plush toys, ornaments, stickers, and more.

“While it’s all meant in good spirit, these can become hazards and are usually disposed of by our crew,” the newsletter noted.

The request also goes along with the cruise line’s efforts to reduce plastic waste to be more environmentally friendly. It is felt that encouraging or permitting duck hiding “doesn’t quite match that effort.”

Furthermore, the same advisory goes on to ask that guests also not decorate their doors, which would eliminate duck magnets, mailboxes, trading posts, and similar setups.

“We also ask that public areas and cabin doors are left as they are, without added decorations like flags, banners, posters, stickers, or magnets. It helps keep the ship looking its best for everyone and ensures we are on top of safety,” the newsletter said.

Guest reactions to Marella Cruises’ duck restrictions are mixed. While some guests are glad to see what they consider a tacky or overdone trend be halted, others don’t mind letting those who enjoy it have their fun.

In addition to newsletters onboard Marella Voyager, another commenter noted they had seen the same notice on the 1,830-guest Marella Discovery recently. That ship is currently homeported from Limassol, Cyprus, offering 8-night Aegean Sea itineraries.

With the notice confirmed on two different vessels in the Marella Cruises fleet, it is reasonable to believe the same notices may be fleetwide.

Will Other Cruise Lines Restrict Ducks?

Cruise Hive has recently reported on Disney Cruise Line enforcing more restrictions on door decorations, which went into effect on June 3, 2026. Disney Cruise Line also asks that guests not hide ducks around their ships.

No cruise lines have confirmed official, outright bans on duck hiding at this time, but Royal Caribbean does restrict where the toys are placed. In July 2025, guests began to notice signage on the Oasis- and Icon-class ships requesting that guests not hide ducks in Central Park.

That specific neighborhood on Deck 8 of those ships features living green walls, extensive planters, and even full-sized trees. The cruise line noted that plants were getting damaged from over-enthusiastic duck hiders and hunters.

In contrast, Carnival Cruise Line has leaned heavily into the cruising ducks phenomenon, even introducing a photo-worthy duck crew member in late 2024 who just may show up in different costumes on different ships.

Most other cruise lines neither encourage nor discourage the guest-led activity, which has boatloads of fans and even social media groups and apps to facilitate the fun.