Why you'll find toy ducks hidden around cruise ships

Next time you're on a cruise, if you see a little yellow duck perched atop a picture, or sitting on a hand rail, don't be alarmed.It's probably a 'cruising duck.'A tradition which is said to have been started by an American child in around 2018, it's a scavenger hunt-style pastime popular on cruises.READ MORE: The key things to know about visiting Paris on the cheapREAD MORE: Most beautiful places along the Western Australia coastlineIt sees avid cruisers hide ducks onboard, which finders can then take and keep.Or they can re-hide their golden find on that ship - or even another.Many are labelled with their 'hider's' details, and finders can also post their duck discoveries online.Some ducks are even 'dressed up', such as like sailors, and there are tiny little ducks as well as the ones you'd find in a bath.Fans have even knitted their own ducks, while others give them names, and some cruise experts have even created their own 'branded' ducks.READ MORE: If you're not regularly cleaning your suitcase between trips, you might want to reconsiderThe global Cruising Ducks Facebook page has almost 280,000 members, while the Aussie one is growing with more than 27,000.It's run by Gabrielle from Sydney.Gabrielle - who didn't want to share her last name - has been on more than 50 cruises.She first encountered the trend in America, and set up the Cruising Ducks Australia Facebook page in 2019."First time I found a duck I was in America on a cruise in 2017 and I found a duck and it had written on it something like 'spreading joy one duck at a time' and I thought that would be so fun to do on cruises back home," she tells 9Travel."It's a bit of light-hearted and harmless fun."Some of her ducks have made their way to Antarctica, while others have turned up in Mexico and Alaska.She says she never goes hunting for ducks - but just stumbles across them."It just creates joy," she tells us.While many cruise lines love the pastime, even selling the creatures onboard, not all are as keen.According to reports, Disney Cruise Line discourages guests from hiding ducks onboard its ships. Crew members remove ducks if they find them, Plan Disney reported.