Hiding from ducks has become a trend on cruises.
Some people spend a lot of time before their cruises buying ducks, decorating them, and preparing them to hide on the ships.
Some duck hiders even create social media sites and put the ducks' addresses or cards attached so people can share their finds. Kids seem to really enjoy looking for ducks, but adults (parents and grandparents) like to get involved too.
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The phenomenon is most popular on Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Disney cruise lines, but it occurs on any ship where children are welcome.
Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) The brand ambassador commented earlier this year in response to a passenger that he was angry about the duck-hiding phenomenon.
“Honestly, when 'P' says 'you won't sail with us until we stop allowing people to hide ducks' it makes me really sad, it really does. It also makes me wonder: do ducks get grumpy?” she wrote on her facebook page. “Hide them, find them, or ignore them. Which of the two options applies to you?”
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That post generated thousands of responses, and most people participated or were happy to let other people have the fun as long as they were respectful of the cruise.
Now, Heald is back with more duck talk and a suggested alternative activity inspired by Taylor Swift.
Image source: Brittany Murray/MediaNews Group/Long Beach Press-Telegram via Getty Images
Carnival's Heald asks for friendship bracelets
On her page, Heald occasionally mentions her young daughter (but doesn't share many details about her, as she's not a public figure). She recently said that she made her a friendship bracelet named after her recently deceased dog, Breeze, which is also the name of a Carnival ship.
That inspired the brand ambassador to suggest that sharing friendship bracelets, a popular practice at Taylor Swift concerts, could be something Carnival passengers can bring onto their ships.
“You know, I was thinking about ducks the other day and how popular they are on board,” she wrote. “I was also thinking about something else that would probably be really nice. I know this is already really popular at Taylor Swift concerts and of course I'm not talking about twerking. I'm talking about friendship bracelets.”
Heald suggested this could become a new Carnival tradition.
“I was thinking, maybe for those people who have some time at home they might want to make friendship bracelets and hand them out on board. They can have the name of the ship, they can have the word Carnival or even anything else related to the cruise. “he added. “You can give them to people or hide them like you do with ducks.”
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Carnival Cruise Line customers support the idea
Heald's post, which garnered more than 800 comments, received near-universal support.
“On two of our previous cruises, the fun team led craft sessions where they made cards or small rope bracelets out of a ship's anchor. If memory serves, there was a very good turnout, so I think this one too would be a good idea for many,” wrote Cerise J. Hawker.
Many passengers suggested that making friendship bracelets should be a cruise line-sponsored onboard activity.
“This could be fun for everyone, and simple and easy to turn into an activity that families can do together at home. Carnival should do some 'quizzes' on board where people can get together to do some quizzes. It would definitely be a great activity for the different youth programs that Carnival does,” Randy Hettenbaugh posted.
Sheryl Roach shared some objections to the idea.
“While this is a very nice idea, what happens when they break? You know that if a pre-teen finds them, they'll break the string. The least problem would be someone stepping on the beads with bare feet. The biggest problem would be a toddler choking on one of the beads. I think I'll stick with the hidden ducks. It's a great idea for group gift exchanges, though,” she explained.
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