For the past few years, the cruising ducks phenomenon has really taken flight, if you’ll pardon the pun. But not every cruise line feels just ducky about the growing trend, and now, Royal Caribbean has taken a first step toward banning the little quackers.
Guests onboard at least one of the cruise line’s Oasis or Icon class vessels have spotted a discreet sign in the ship’s Central Park admonishing the behavior. Photos of the sign have recently begun circulating through social media.
“Please help us protect the plants,” the sign reads. “This is a duck free zone. Please don’t hide ducks in Central Park.”
Granted, there is no immediate indication of consequences for hiding ducks among the thousands of plants that adorn the sophisticated space midship on Deck 8. At this time, there is no confirmation of which ship has the sign, but the Oasis and Icon class ships are the only ones that feature Central Park.
Still, the consequences of violating the request could actually be severe in the end. The cruise line is obviously attempting to safeguard the park’s plants, including the shrubbery, elevated boxes, and even the impressive multi-story green wall.
If guests continually disrupt the plants as they either hide or search for ducks, the plants can be crushed, trampled, uprooted, torn, broken, and damaged in many other ways.
This can cause dead or bare sections and a much less pleasing aesthetic for guests who enjoy the peaceful space and its sophisticated ambiance of nightly live music, casual strolls, and unexpected nature in the middle of the ocean.
It can be expensive to continually replace the plants, not to mention the labor necessary to remove and replant every time a plant is damaged.
Furthermore, there may be environmental restrictions on where and how damaged plants could be discarded to avoid introducing pests or invasive plants to different regions.
Should Ducks Be Hidden in Central Park?
Guests have reacted to the new signage with varying degrees of support. While no one wants to condone damaging the ship and its living decorations, many guests do feel the activity is a relatively harmless one that brings a great deal of joy to many cruisers.
On the other hand, the duck-finding obsession can become troublesome if guests are trampling plants or engaging in other poor behavior – climbing statues, rearranging furniture, etc. – as part of what should be a lighthearted game.
Read Also: Cruising Ducks – Everything You Ever Wanted to Know!
Other guests note that the problem isn’t so much the cruising ducks game itself, but when children are overly enthusiastic to search for ducks and parents don’t correct their bad behavior.
Granted, it is not just children who might be stepping into planters or pushing plants aside in their enthusiasm!
How such a “duck free zone” could be enforced is another concern. If the duck hiding-and-hunting were to become too problematic, it is possible that Royal Caribbean could completely ban the activity. At this time, only Disney Cruise Line officially discourages cruising ducks.
If an official ban were instituted, crew members might collect and discard any ducks, and guests seen hiding them could be cited as violating the cruise line’s conduct policy.
The conduct policy does specifically note that vandalism is prohibited, though exactly what constitutes vandalism is not defined.
“Placing materials anywhere on the interior of the ship (including stateroom doors, along corridors, etc.) without the express permission of ship management,” is also noted as prohibited.
The new signs in the Central Park neighborhood could be seen as directly denying permission to place ducks in that area, and therefore guests who do so would be in violation of the conduct policy.
Onboard horticulture experts do monitor the plants in Central Park, and it isn’t unheard of to change out which plants are showcased in which areas.
For example, aboard Wonder of the Seas, fragrant rosemary was initially prominent in the planter boxes outside Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen. After all, what better plant to enjoy when dining al fresco at an Italian restaurant?
Unfortunately, the rosemary was too tempting for curious guests, who kept touching the plants (the delicious aroma and velvety texture can be irresistible!) and eventually damaged the plantings. The rosemary was removed and replaced with alternatives that, while still attractive, were much less tempting.
It would not be possible to replace all of Central Park’s plants with indestructible alternatives. The only option might be artificial plants, which miss the entire point of the space.
Hopefully, guests will respect the duck-free zone and enjoy getting their ducks in a row somewhere else.
