How Many Cruise Ducks Should You Bring?We Brought 25.

How long our 25 ducks lasted

Duck hiding became our afternoon activity, around the time our son would usually be napping at home. It was something fairly chill that got him out of the room and gave him a reason to walk around and enjoy the ship.

He did most of the hiding. I’d imagined the whole thing taking longer, but by about day two or three, our bag was empty. We’d had two afternoons of it, and he would happily have kept going.

With young kids, there’s no idea of pacing yourself. He was enjoying it, so we kept hiding ducks.

We found very few ourselves, and we weren’t really finding any after that point either. Besides, we’re keepers. Our son wasn’t about to send one of his new little friends back out just because we’d run out of ducks to hide.

The ducks fit in our carry on luggage

We traveled with carry-on luggage only. Our 25 classic yellow rubber ducks took up about as much room as a pair of kids’ shoes. That was less space than you might expect, although duck sizes and packaging will make a difference.

We spent about $20 on the ducks and tags for that trip, as best I remember.

The bigger issue for me was adding one more project before leaving and one more thing to remember once we were there.

We kept our ducks in a bag and brought them along for those two outings. We didn’t want to carry the whole bag everywhere, so hiding them became something we deliberately went out to do.

I wish it had been more spontaneous. A few ducks in a bag we were already taking out might have made that easier. That’s something I’d try next time.

Choosing how many ducks to pack

If you’re trying this for the first time, a pack of 25 gives you a useful starting point based on our experience. You can prepare it without taking over your entire suitcase, and you’ll get a feel for whether hiding ducks is something your family wants to do again.

If you’re hoping to hide ducks throughout the cruise, think about how many you’d like to take out each day. Three ducks on each of seven days is 21 ducks. Five a day is 35. You can adjust that around the days you actually expect to spend time hiding them.

Setting a few aside in your cabin for later days could help your supply last. You will still have to explain this arrangement to your child. Mine had enthusiasm. He did not have a seven-day duck distribution plan.

Before ordering more, check your cruise line’s current guidance on hiding ducks. Then consider how many you want to prepare and carry around. The number that fits in your suitcase might be more than you want in your day bag.

And if someone in your cruise group is bringing 200 while you’re looking at your much smaller bag? You had to pack some clothes too. I get it.

When to start preparing your cruise ducks

This is the advice I most needed.

The day before our trip was a hot mess. I’d spent a good part of it doing laundry, going over lists, and packing paperwork. Then I stopped to do a craft project.

Our tags had the sail date, ship name, and the Colorado city our ducks had traveled from. I printed them and attached them around the ducks’ necks. It took about an hour.

Some of that hour involved getting the printer to connect, of course. Then came figuring out how best to attach the tags. Our son’s contribution to this particular family activity was enjoying the finished product. Preparation was my job as Mom.

Make one complete tag first. Print it, cut it out, and attach it to a duck before preparing the rest. That way, you can work out the fiddly part once.

Keep the design simple enough that you’ll actually finish it. Our hometown detail gave the ducks a little personal story, and I liked that. It didn’t need to become my last big assignment before vacation.

Why I would bring ducks again

Was bringing them worth the extra effort? Of course.

One afternoon, our son placed a duck where a little girl could find it, then pointed her toward it. She was only about one or two. We sat back and watched her discover it, and that little exchange became the start of their friendship that week.

That was one of our 25 ducks. It’s the one I’m still talking about.

Hiding ducks became one of his favorite activities on the cruise. I’d absolutely make room for them again. I’d just prefer to have my argument with the printer earlier in the week.

New to the tradition? Read our beginner’s guide to cruise ducks.