Duck hiding on ship???

[sea witch]

I found one on our NCL Encore cruise in April, and thought a child had lost it so left it on the stair- out of harm's way, not knowing about the 'ducks'.  I found out later and loved the idea!  There were very few children on board so I wouldn't have felt badly taking it and spreading the joy!  Thinking of taking a few on my next cruise.  For those that don't agree with the 'fun', just ignore them and let those that do, participate.  I'm 65 and young at heart!

[Bucket List Bohemians]

7 hours ago, sea witch said:

I found one on our NCL Encore cruise in April, and thought a child had lost it so left it on the stair- out of harm's way, not knowing about the 'ducks'.  I found out later and loved the idea!  There were very few children on board so I wouldn't have felt badly taking it and spreading the joy!  Thinking of taking a few on my next cruise.  For those that don't agree with the 'fun', just ignore them and let those that do, participate.  I'm 65 and young at heart!

A duck on the stairs .... and people wonder why people are worried about tripping over them...

[Bucket List Bohemians]

8 hours ago, steveknj said:

 

So you have absolutely NO plastics?  Never drink from a plastic bottle?  I think most kids want to keep them, and the crew loves the and keeps them in place from whatever I read about them...

 

I had never heard of this thing before our last cruise in March when my adult son found a tag (but alas, no duck) on the stairs.  We then looked it up on the internet and found that it's really a thing!! He now follows cruising ducks on FB and shows us the pics of all the unique ducks.  We will be on the Breakaway in August and my adult daughter plans on spreading some ducky cheer throughout the ship and hopefully we'll spot a few kids enjoying their "find" and spreading the cheer as well.  It's a harmless and fun thing to do and if it makes a kid (or an adult) smile, I'm all for it!!

I don't bring plastic to the beach to leave laying around to blow into the ocean, I don't leave plastic on my balcony to blow over ... nor do I leave little things around the cruise ship that can fall onto the stairs to trip people, or end up down some crevice to muck up machinery on board.  We've done swim encounters with dolphins, a sea lion, sting rays & sharks - and listened to the nature talks about what plastic in the ocean does to sea life - 1 million killed a year ("Over 1 million marine animals (including mammals, fish, sharks, turtles, and birds) are killed each year due to plastic debris in the ocean UNESCO Facts & Figures on Marine Pollution").  Its all fun and games till someone gets hurt or a dolphin dies.  I don't have many "causes", but dolphins are one of them.  Its really surprising that in 2022 when everyone is so concerned  about the environment and animals, that so many people respond they either don't believe the hazard or don't care as long as its fun.

[Old Fart Cruisers]

10 minutes ago, Bucket List Bohemians said:

 1 million killed a year ("Over 1 million marine animals (including mammals, fish, sharks, turtles, and birds) are killed each year due to plastic debris in the ocean UNESCO Facts & Figures on Marine Pollution").  Its all fun and games till someone gets hurt or a dolphin dies.  I don't have many "causes", but dolphins are one of them.

 

I agree with what you say, but you left off a couples zeros: 100 million marine animals die each year from plastic waste alone. 100,000 marine animals die from getting entangled in plastic yearly – this is just the creatures we find! 1 in 3 marine mammal species get found entangled in litter, 12-14,000 tons of plastic are ingested by North Pacific fish yearly.

 

https://www.condorferries.co.uk/marine-ocean-pollution-statistics-facts

[steveknj]

8 hours ago, Bucket List Bohemians said:

I don't bring plastic to the beach to leave laying around to blow into the ocean, I don't leave plastic on my balcony to blow over ... nor do I leave little things around the cruise ship that can fall onto the stairs to trip people, or end up down some crevice to muck up machinery on board.  We've done swim encounters with dolphins, a sea lion, sting rays & sharks - and listened to the nature talks about what plastic in the ocean does to sea life - 1 million killed a year ("Over 1 million marine animals (including mammals, fish, sharks, turtles, and birds) are killed each year due to plastic debris in the ocean UNESCO Facts & Figures on Marine Pollution").  Its all fun and games till someone gets hurt or a dolphin dies.  I don't have many "causes", but dolphins are one of them.  Its really surprising that in 2022 when everyone is so concerned  about the environment and animals, that so many people respond they either don't believe the hazard or don't care as long as its fun.

 

If you believe so strongly, I don't think cruising is really for you.  Do you realize that the fuel oil, the waste from cruise ships ALSO kill millions of sea (and land) animals?  If a little rubber duck, with very little odds of ever making it into the ocean bothers you, then maybe you should understand what cruise ships do to the oceans as well.

[kodos]

This was on the breakaway in April

[cruiseny4life]

28 minutes ago, kodos said:

This was on the breakaway in April

I don't know...that duck sure looks like it's about to hop overboard so it can be swallowed by a dolphin! 

[Bucket List Bohemians]

9 hours ago, Old Fart Cruisers said:

 

I agree with what you say, but you left off a couples zeros: 100 million marine animals die each year from plastic waste alone. 100,000 marine animals die from getting entangled in plastic yearly – this is just the creatures we find! 1 in 3 marine mammal species get found entangled in litter, 12-14,000 tons of plastic are ingested by North Pacific fish yearly.

 

https://www.condorferries.co.uk/marine-ocean-pollution-statistics-facts

I did a cut and paste that said 1 million, but I think that was large ocean mammals - but you are correct, every study you google for total marine life, that includes turtles, fish, etc is 100 million.  So some will say that with that many dead, what difference does a few ducks make (but its not a few, there are hundreds of thousands of people in these duck game groups), or they won't google & dont believe the statistic, or, they just dont care.

On fb people comment "party pooper" when we try to convince people not to buy (and hide) ducks.

 

[SeaShark]

Its nice to throw around wild stats from activist web sites (interesting how rounded and even the numbers always are...easier to parrot that way), but I'd still like to see the proof. Are these supported numbers or estimates? If the latter, what are the biases of the source?

 

"Over 100 Million each year"...can you reference even ONE article from an objective source that shows the death of just ONE marine mammal directly attributed to a cruise duck?

 

We all cruise, we all have cameras and camera phones...does anyone have photos they've taken on a cruise of all of this plastic in the ocean? Somebody must have pictures, right? Anyone have a photo that they've taken of the "over 100 million" dead marine mammals? Surely, we should be able to see them given the time we spend looking at the ocean...

[spanishguy1970]

1 hour ago, steveknj said:

 

If you believe so strongly, I don't think cruising is really for you.  Do you realize that the fuel oil, the waste from cruise ships ALSO kill millions of sea (and land) animals?  If a little rubber duck, with very little odds of ever making it into the ocean bothers you, then maybe you should understand what cruise ships do to the oceans as well.

Hear hear.

[HarpHarp]

Folks, Single use plastic, like straws & grocery bags are indeed a major problem. Aren"t your sign & sail cards made from plastic, & single use at that. The ducks are no differnt than the sand pails kids take to the beach, toys that are played with multiple times & are collected by staff & passengers alike. I hate to think how many single use plastic glasses are used on a ship in a week.

Some of the hidden ducks are keychains, card holders on a lanyard, magnets, earrings and I am cross stitching a fingertip towel with ducks & cruise info for my next cruise. 

[steveknj]

1 hour ago, SeaShark said:

Its nice to throw around wild stats from activist web sites (interesting how rounded and even the numbers always are...easier to parrot that way), but I'd still like to see the proof. Are these supported numbers or estimates? If the latter, what are the biases of the source?

 

"Over 100 Million each year"...can you reference even ONE article from an objective source that shows the death of just ONE marine mammal directly attributed to a cruise duck?

 

We all cruise, we all have cameras and camera phones...does anyone have photos they've taken on a cruise of all of this plastic in the ocean? Somebody must have pictures, right? Anyone have a photo that they've taken of the "over 100 million" dead marine mammals? Surely, we should be able to see them given the time we spend looking at the ocean...

 

I think his point has some validity, and the amount of plastic in the ocean is much too much and we need to find better options.  But to make this a vendetta against cruising ducks that most likely NEVER make it into the ocean and go as far as deriding folks on here or on FB about it, just feels like it could be trolling, or misguided.  Especially when cruise lines themselves are among the worst polluters of the ocean.  So if you're THAT worried about sea life (and we all should be to some extent), perhaps not going on a cruise would be the first step.   Otherwise, it's pretty hypocritical to worry about a cruise duck while enjoying your cruise experience on a major polluter.  We all make compromises and we should all do our best to make this a better place to live in, but there are things that are just silly.

[Bucket List Bohemians]

4 hours ago, steveknj said:

 

I think his point has some validity, and the amount of plastic in the ocean is much too much and we need to find better options.  But to make this a vendetta against cruising ducks that most likely NEVER make it into the ocean and go as far as deriding folks on here or on FB about it, just feels like it could be trolling, or misguided.  Especially when cruise lines themselves are among the worst polluters of the ocean.  So if you're THAT worried about sea life (and we all should be to some extent), perhaps not going on a cruise would be the first step.   Otherwise, it's pretty hypocritical to worry about a cruise duck while enjoying your cruise experience on a major polluter.  We all make compromises and we should all do our best to make this a better place to live in, but there are things that are just silly.

This isn't only about some ducks blowing over board, it's about the ship having to RECYCLE the ducks as well.   "Thank you for your post, it completely changed my mind", said no one ever.  So continuing this thread is a waste of time.  Luckily passengers have  2 games popular right now to play.  One is hiding ducks, the other is finding ducks and throwing them out lol.   

[LongIsland-Cruiser]

I found a duck on my last Cruise in May.  It was made of soap and was tagged by the Facebook duck group encouraging me to hide it again or take it home.

 

I repeat...IT WAS A SOAP DUCK, NOT PLASTIC.  So all you grouches can calm down.  I can't get over how nasty and negative so many cruisers are.  Kids organize a fun scavenger hunt for themselves and use their imagination and Boomers on this board sneer "Where are my plastic straws!".

 

God, I hope none of you get invited to any birthday parties.  What nastiness.

[MsMidge]

17 hours ago, Bucket List Bohemians said:

I don't bring plastic to the beach to leave laying around to blow into the ocean, I don't leave plastic on my balcony to blow over ... nor do I leave little things around the cruise ship that can fall onto the stairs to trip people, or end up down some crevice to muck up machinery on board.  We've done swim encounters with dolphins, a sea lion, sting rays & sharks - and listened to the nature talks about what plastic in the ocean does to sea life - 1 million killed a year ("Over 1 million marine animals (including mammals, fish, sharks, turtles, and birds) are killed each year due to plastic debris in the ocean UNESCO Facts & Figures on Marine Pollution").  Its all fun and games till someone gets hurt or a dolphin dies.  I don't have many "causes", but dolphins are one of them.  Its really surprising that in 2022 when everyone is so concerned  about the environment and animals, that so many people respond they either don't believe the hazard or don't care as long as its fun.

We enjoy the great duck hunt.  We have found quite a few in the past few years and always hide them for someone else to find.  

 

I think the sea life, dolphins, sea lions etc would rather your hide ducks on a boat then be captive having to swim with humans in a small pool just for food.

 

Have a nice day.

[Travelling2Some]

9 hours ago, steveknj said:

 

I think his point has some validity, and the amount of plastic in the ocean is much too much and we need to find better options.  But to make this a vendetta against cruising ducks that most likely NEVER make it into the ocean and go as far as deriding folks on here or on FB about it, just feels like it could be trolling, or misguided.  Especially when cruise lines themselves are among the worst polluters of the ocean.  So if you're THAT worried about sea life (and we all should be to some extent), perhaps not going on a cruise would be the first step.   Otherwise, it's pretty hypocritical to worry about a cruise duck while enjoying your cruise experience on a major polluter.  We all make compromises and we should all do our best to make this a better place to live in, but there are things that are just silly.

Truly excellent post!  We all have causes that move us emotionally.  Everyone cannot be  passionate over every worthwhile cause in this world. Personally, I am far more concerned about the millions of destitute children around the globe than I am about marine life so that is where I put my energy.  Hopefully we all do our own bit to leave the world better than we found it.  Please don't imagine that everyone who does not share your particular focus is either evil or ignorant. 

[FreestyleNovice]

Ahh, 2019, the things that worried us before Covid struck the world... 

 

 

[Travelling2Some]

6 hours ago, FreestyleNovice said:

Ahh, 2019, the things that worried us before Covid struck the world... 

 

 

Yay!  Back to the silly arguments Cruise Critic is known for!  Wear your shorts to dinner and refuse to tip.  The good old days are back.

Edited July 21, 2022 by Travelling2Some

[steveknj]

On 7/20/2022 at 8:24 PM, Travelling2Some said:

Truly excellent post!  We all have causes that move us emotionally.  Everyone cannot be  passionate over every worthwhile cause in this world. Personally, I am far more concerned about the millions of destitute children around the globe than I am about marine life so that is where I put my energy.  Hopefully we all do our own bit to leave the world better than we found it.  Please don't imagine that everyone who does not share your particular focus is either evil or ignorant. 

 

I'm all for saving sea life and our oceans as it's part of the circle of life.  But to carry on about an odd duck or two (pun intended) making it into the ocean is misguided when the ship you are on probably dumps TONS of waste into the water.  Sure we should definitely not throw anything into the ocean that shouldn't be, but I doubt very many of these ducks make it into the water, except at some kid's bathtub back on land.

[Bucket List Bohemians]

15 minutes ago, steveknj said:

 

I'm all for saving sea life and our oceans as it's part of the circle of life.  But to carry on about an odd duck or two (pun intended) making it into the ocean is misguided when the ship you are on probably dumps TONS of waste into the water.  Sure we should definitely not throw anything into the ocean that shouldn't be, but I doubt very many of these ducks make it into the water, except at some kid's bathtub back on land.

Can't believe this subject is still going on and without people even reading the posts.  Blowing in the ocean is nothing compared to the ship and landside recycling these. With literally  hundreds of THOUSANDS of people in these duck groups hiding ducks, its not a duck or two to recycle.  If you want to hide ducks, go ahead.  I certainly won't be. 

[MSUjohn]

OK, it is all coming together;

 

a few days ago i was watching a narrated tour on a carnival ship. as they passed through the store, the narrator stated "carnival is getting in on the cruise ducks too (as they showed a four pack of duck). i was confused what where the ducks.

 

today i watched a video and people where "locking for ducks on their cruise. i was confused.

 

 

now, all my questions are answered. 

 

(i hate fads)

[Bucket List Bohemians]

55 minutes ago, MSUjohn said:

OK, it is all coming together;

 

a few days ago i was watching a narrated tour on a carnival ship. as they passed through the store, the narrator stated "carnival is getting in on the cruise ducks too (as they showed a four pack of duck). i was confused what where the ducks.

 

today i watched a video and people where "locking for ducks on their cruise. i was confused.

 

 

now, all my questions are answered. 

 

(i hate fads)

Carnival is BRILLIANT !! Tell the crew to throw away all the ducks they find cleaning, and make people go buy new ones in the gift shop ! I'm glad I have 200 shares of Carnival stock !! Next they'll sell plastic straws in the gift shop since they only give us those crappy paper straws.

[Sue Do-Over]

We have found and relocated ducks. Not hidden, but left in unexpected places, like on a bookshelf or in the rocks around the fake plants in the atrium.

Crew left them alone, or moved them a few inches to more visible spots.

The crane-game in the arcade had ducks, so we imagine some came from there.

 

There were maybe 6 or 8 on the ship, not hundreds. 

[MSUjohn]

On 7/25/2022 at 2:44 PM, MSUjohn said:

OK, it is all coming together;

 

a few days ago i was watching a narrated tour on a carnival ship. as they passed through the store, the narrator stated "carnival is getting in on the cruise ducks too (as they showed a four pack of duck). i was confused what where the ducks.

 

today i watched a video and people where "locking for ducks on their cruise. i was confused.

 

 

now, all my questions are answered. 

 

(i hate fads)

*looking

 

 hate the lack of edit after an hour on cruise critic.....

[wil e coyote]

I'm sorry - but every time I see the title of this thread, I envision real ducks stowing away on cruise ships - now that would be a problem! 🤪