What are ‘quackers’? Inside the cruise scavenger hunt community obsessed with rubber ducks

The “quacker” cruise scavenger hunt community is currently on the rise.

Look out for rubber ducks this summer , donning anything from sailor costumes to cowboy hats, hidden on cruise ships worldwide thanks to a group of rubber duck scavenger enthusiasts who call themselves “quackers”. The phenomenon is believed to have begun on Facebook when the parents of a 10-year-old girl created a “Cruising Ducks” page after she hid an assortment of rubber ducks for fellow travelers while on a family vacation.

Since its online inception, the “quacker” community has exploded online with a whopping 275,000 members today. The Facebook page reportedly receives 100 posts daily, in which users often post about their findings or provide insight into their hiding process. The community is open to cruise travelers of all ages.

“It’s not just for kids to find,” 60-year-old Kelly May, who became involved in the community starting in 2022, explained to The New York Times . “When I found my first one, it was a yippee moment.”

On cruise trips, quackers typically bring 10 to 100 ducks to hide in various nooks and crannies throughout the ships, with May revealing that she has hidden an estimated 2,000 ducks since starting. Meanwhile, she has found only 40 ducks throughout her travels, having spotted her first at a casino table, rocking a sailor look, and a passport for “The Republic of Fun”.

In March, she joined 60 other quackers on a Carnival cruise trip as part of the “Quacktastic Duckers Cruise” group, which hosts events as well as duck beautifying classes. Carnival Cruises is one of many brands hopping onto the quacker hype train, with brand ambassador, John Heald, recently posing with a rubber duck made in his likeness on Instagram.

However, not all companies are capitalizing on the quacker craze like Carnival. According to a December post on travel planning site Plan Disney, Disney Cruise Line has discouraged customers from participating in duck hunts, noting that crew members have been removing the ducks after finding them.

But it isn’t just companies that have taken issue with the trend, some cruise travelers have taken to social media to share their concerns about the rubber ducks littering the ocean if they end up overboard. They have also accused quackers of being “overzealous” and going too far by putting them near the buffet.

However, despite the slight backlash, the scavenger hunt continues to be a joyful cruise activity accessible to all ages. It seems as though the quacker community isn’t intent on stopping their intrepid, hide-and-seek ways anytime soon.