Rubber ducks are in the news again.
Apparently, Disney Cruise Line discreetly banned the hiding of rubber ducks on their cruise ships earlier this month. This information came from planDisney–the official website where the public can ask questions about all Disney vacations. When the question was asked about the practice of hiding ducks on Disney cruise ships the answer was the following:
“I’ve been hearing rumblings that guests are being discouraged from hiding ducks onboard Disney Cruise ships, so I called the friendly agents at Disney Cruise Line to ask if they had an official policy that I could share with you. I was advised that guests cannot hide things, such as rubber ducks in staterooms or public areas on the ship. I know that this is a popular thing to do for many cruisers onboard, but it sounds like it’s being discouraged and as you said, Crew Members are removing any ducks they spot around the ship.”
Maybe banned is not the correct word, but “discouraged” and the “ducks are being removed” seems about the same.
Naturally, this made the duck-hiding enthusiasts question if other cruise lines would be “discouraging” the fun as well. Also, naturally, Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald was asked and here is his response:
“I am surprised that the beards at Disney have banned the ducks? I didn’t know that, I wonder if Donald had something to say about that. Look, they are a brilliant cruise line and have their own rules of course but as so many have been asking me this I thought it best I respond here.
The answer is no, we are not going to ban the hiding of ducks. I know this is not for everyone but I also know they are not “ disease riddled” and I also know it gives so many people joy so why would we stop the spreading of joy?”
Also, this isn’t the first time Heald has addressed a question about rubber ducks. The last time it was whether or not crew members threw them overboard when they saw them. By the way, that’s against Carnival policy so that is not happening.
It seems from comments that the majority of people either enjoy the rubber duck scavenger hunt or okay just ignoring something that seems harmless. However, there is one in every crowd. Happy Duck Hunting!