Key Aspects:
- Prank ducks hidden aboard Carnival ships promising a free drink are false and will not be honored by bartenders or wait staff.
- While Carnival Cruise Line does not ban cruising ducks, it is possible that such bad faith “jokes” could lead to a ban if they get out of control.
- The bedazzled Effy ducks that were used for prize giveaways were from the jewelry retailer and not from the cruise line.
Cruising ducks can be a bit of harmless fun onboard, both hiding and searching for the coveted little quackers. But some ducks now being found on Carnival cruisers are causing trouble for guests and crew members.
The issue has come to the attention of John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador. In some cases, it has raised so much concern that he has called out the practice and is urging guests to stop.
But what is wrong with simple duck hide-and-seek? It isn’t the ducks themselves, but a message hidden with them that is the problem.
The problematic ducks come with what appears to be an “official” tag, including the Carnival Cruise Line whale tail logo, and offer guests a prize that doesn’t exist.
“Congratulations! You have found one of our ducks! 1 free drink redeemable at the casino bar! Thank you for sailing with Carnival!” the tag reads.
Unfortunately, this is not an official promotion from Carnival Cruise Line, nor are ducks sporting these labels able to offer free drinks in this way.
“Please, whoever is doing this STOP. It is not fair on the guest and it is not fair on the bartenders and bar servers who have to be the ones to say ‘sorry, there is no free drink,'” Heald explained.
It’s understandable that a guest who finds such a duck might be excited at the prospect of a free drink. But this is fake and puts both the guest and the bartender who has to deny the prize into very awkward and unpleasant situations.
“If you find one of these, well, unfortunately, you have been pranked,” Heald confirmed. “We apologize because it isn’t very funny. These ducks were brought on board by other guests and any promotion or offer you may see on them is not valid. For Duck’s sake, please stop doing this.”
Carnival Cruise Line has been cheerfully fun and supportive of the cruising ducks phenomenon, adamantly noting that they have no intention of banning the guest-led activity.
It is possible, however, that if such pranks continue, that may change. This could become a case of one-bad-apple-spoils-the-bunch and if inappropriate ducks start flocking to Carnival ships, the entire activity could be discontinued.
Some commenters even think this may be the deliberate intent of the prank ducks.
“Looks like a group or a person who doesn’t like the ducks and wants it canceled through the cruise line. That’s outrageous to do that,” one guest noted.
Another guest thinks it would be a great comeback if Carnival were able to track the person hiding these prank ducks, then charge them for the “free” drinks they’ve offered.
It is possible that official policies could be implemented if ducks start causing problems. On Royal Caribbean’s Oasis and Icon-class ships, for example, ducks are now banned in the Central Park area due to damage from over-eager duck seekers.
Are Prize Ducks a Thing?
While Carnival Cruise Line has never offered prize-oriented ducks, it’s an interesting idea and one that has, in fact, been seen onboard Carnival ships, but not from the cruise line itself.
Effy Jewelry has previously hidden blinged-out ducks onboard ships as a prize giveaway. Guests who found the glittery gadwalls (a type of duck!) could return them to the onboard Effy store for a prize.
The jewelry retailer is not, however, owned or operated by Carnival Cruise Line. Their bedazzled ducks were a limited time promotion and independent from cruise operations.
More From Cruise Hive
It might be neat if a cruise line were to embrace the duck trend fully and award prizes for special, well-hidden ducks. Free drinks, onboard credit, a free photo, or even a ship-on-a-stick could all be good prizes.
For the time being, however, Carnival guests will have to be mindful that no such official promotions exist. Instead, they may want to watch out for Ducky and have a souvenir selfie with the feathered crew member instead.
