Royal Caribbean cruises ban much loved passenger event over ship damage fear

If you've ever travelled on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, you'll know the iconic duck hunt is all part of the fun.

For those not in the know, lots of passengers like to hide cruise ducks, which are small rubber ducks, all over the ship for other passengers to find.

The ducks will have info cards with the names and locations of the people who've hidden them. The holidaymakers who find the ducks will then usually take a photo and post them in various different social media groups for other cruise goers to see.

It's a great way for passengers past and present to connect with each other and is a great activity for entertaining little ones, but apparently, it's all gotten a tad out of hand.

'Cruise ducks' are hugely popular on Royal Caribbean cruises (Getty Stock Images)

According to the message board on Cruise Critic, Royal Caribbean have even taken the step of banning the elusive ducks from certain areas, such as the Central Park, on board the Oasis and Quantum Class ships, over concerns the plants are being damaged by foot fall.

Central Park is a popular neighbourhood onboard Oasis Class and Icon Class ships, as they contain thousands of live plants which are looked after by a gardener who lives onboard the vessel. However, concerns have been growing after an increasing number of people searching for ducks had been invading the greenery and causing damage to many of the plants.

Taking to a Royal Caribbean Facebook group, one regular cruiser said it was 'about time'.

"Central Park plants and flowers have been getting tore up by the adults and the kids placing and hunting for ducks," they added, and many people agree.

People hide the rubber ducks on board (Getty Stock Images)

Another holidaymaker wrote: "Don't blame the ducks! I'd rather they made it an 'obnoxious people free zone' to ban parents who allow their kids to trample on the plants."

A third added: "I’m so glad they finally did something to stop the plants and flowers from getting trampled."

While the majority of people seemed to support the decision to keep the ducks out of Central Park, one cruiser suggested the tour company go one step further and ban the ducks from the boat altogether.

"Good move," she wrote. "Now make the entire ship a duck-free zone. I understand that some people enjoy looking for those little rubber duckies, but it's a pass for me, especially when it involves damage."

Despite the rule change, the cruise ducks remain a huge part of the Royal Caribbean culture onboard, so we're not expecting them to receive a total ban any time soon.