Carnival Cruise Line’s ‘Ducky the Duck’ Mascot Makes Headlines, But Is He ‘Official’?

Carnival Cruise Line made headlines thanks to a now-deleted Facebook post made by ambassador John Heald, which featured an unconventional mascot named “Ducky the Duck.”

“I would like to introduce you to a brilliant and fun addition to the ships. Coming soon to your cruise you’re going to see the continuation of the duck phenomenon,” Heald said in the post, according to CruiseHive. “Here with Carnival Jubilee Hotel Director Pierre and Hotel Director and Director of Guest Operations Greg please meet ummmm… Ducky the Duck.”

The popularity of the post resulted in Carnival Cruise Line releasing a follow-up statement about the new mascot, clarifying that he was not, in fact, an official character, but would be making fun appearances on various ships.

“The duck character introduced by our photo team is one of many characters available for guests to take fun photos with and is not an official mascot,” the popular cruise line said in a separate statement.

The mascot is a nod and a wink to an ongoing trend on cruises, known as “ducking.” According to The Points Guy, in an attempt to have a little fun, cruisers frequently bring rubber ducks on their trips, which they then conceal about the ship. Information cards with the names of the people who hid the ducks and the locations of those passengers are typically affixed to the ducks.

A 10-year-old girl named Abby made a sweet gesture in 2018 with the simple goal of making other passengers happy. Today, it has spread to other Facebook groups with hundreds of thousands of members. Cruisers talk about the ducks they ordered, where to buy them, where to conceal them after they’ve sailed, and how to attach the information tags in these groups.

Carnival Cruise Line Releases New Itinerary

Carnival Cruise Line fans will have more places to potentially see Ducky the Duck and go on rubber duck hunts now that the popular cruise line has released its new itinerary.

Four ships now provide thrilling and remarkable cruise vacations in Australia. Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter will join the fleet in the spring, giving Australian tourists more choices.

Carnival Adventure and Carnival Splendor sail from Sydney, while Carnival Encounter and Carnival Luminosa sail from Brisbane (seasonally) as part of the extended route. Along with New Zealand, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea, the route includes well-known locations including Moreton Island, the South Pacific, and the Great Barrier Reef.