Disclaimer

The Traveling Ducks is an independent hobby project. We make numbered, 3D-printed ducks and share their journeys through the finds people report. This page explains our role, the limits of those reports, and what to know before participating or sharing content.

Our role in placing ducks

The first time one of our ducks is hidden or placed in a location, it is placed by a member of our team. We choose that initial placement.

After that initial placement, we have no control over or input into where other people hide, keep, or pass on the duck, or which locations they report. Those decisions and reports belong to the people who make them. We do not supervise later placements or track a duck's physical location.

We operate and moderate this website. Publishing a find does not mean we chose, inspected, or approved the reported hiding place, or that it is safe or permitted.

Reported journeys, not live locations

A duck's history reflects submitted reports. Dates, places, photos, and whether a duck was kept, re-hidden, or passed on may be inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date. We do not independently verify each find. A published report is not proof that a duck is still there or available to find.

Map pins represent the selected town or port, not an exact hiding spot or a person's location. Journey distances and leaderboard totals are based on recorded activity; they are not verified travel records or directions for a hunt.

Hiding and finding safely

Participation is voluntary. Use your judgment and take responsibility for your own actions when hiding, looking for, or keeping a duck.
Follow the current rules of the cruise line, ship, port, or property, and any instructions from crew or staff. Some operators restrict or prohibit hiding objects. Our initial placement and any later sighting are not permission to hide or search there.
Never climb, reach over railings, enter restricted or private areas without permission, or place or search for ducks near lifeboats, safety equipment, exits, food-service areas, or merchandise. Do not block access, damage property, or leave anything in the sea.
Supervise children while they participate. Check a found duck for damage or loose parts before letting a child handle it, and keep small pieces away from young children.
If a location looks unsafe or a rule is unclear, leave the duck and ask crew or staff.

Independent of cruise lines and venues

We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any cruise line, ship operator, port, or venue. Listing a name or location identifies a reported journey; it does not imply a partnership or permission to place ducks. Names and trademarks belong to their respective owners.

Our artwork, animations, and use of AI

The map’s Duck Dispatch contains playful fictional vacation stories inspired by published finds. When a finder provides notes, the brief includes them as an attributed quote alongside the fictional narration. Reported dates and locations are shown separately. The fictional parts are not verified events or evidence of what a duck actually did.

We use AI tools to help create site artwork and duck animations, and this site was built with the help of AI coding tools. Our team is responsible for our own creative material. Duck portraits may be photographs or creative illustrations; artwork and animations are not evidence of a real sighting, event, or journey.

The site does not generate finder submissions with AI or turn our artwork into finder reports. Photos and notes submitted by users are separate from our own creative material. We cannot verify whether a user's submission is original, edited, or AI-generated. Review versions of the site may contain sample ducks and fictional activity for testing; that activity is not a record of real finds.

What you submit and what becomes public

Submit only photos and text you own or have permission to share. Do not present invented activity or generated images as evidence of a real find.
You retain your rights in your submissions. By submitting content, you give us permission to store and display it as part of this project and to resize or convert photos for the site. Our submission rules and removal policy below apply to that content.
Published finds can show the date, selected ship and place, what happened to the duck, your note, and any approved photo. If you are signed in, your account's display name can appear with your finds and on leaderboards. Use a nickname you are comfortable sharing publicly.
Finds from guests and new accounts are held for review before publication. Finds from trusted accounts can appear immediately. Every finder photo requires separate approval before it is publicly available, even when its find has already been published.
Moderation helps us address inappropriate content; it does not certify a report's accuracy, ownership, safety, or authenticity. Approval does not replace the submitter's responsibility to check their content before uploading it.

Photo and submission rules

You are responsible for checking every photo and note before submitting it. Review the whole image, including backgrounds, reflections, screens, and visible documents. Remove or obscure personal details yourself before uploading; do not rely on our review to find them or make a photo safe to publish. If you cannot make it safe or obtain the necessary permission, do not submit it.

Photos, notes, and display names must not contain:

Private information or sensitive identifiers, such as contact details, home addresses, cabin numbers, travel documents, booking references, account information, or precise personal locations. Do not post identifying details or photos of children.
Identifiable images of other people without their permission, private or intimate images, or material you do not have the right to share, including someone else's copyrighted work.
Nudity, sexually explicit material, sexualization or exploitation of children, graphic injury, or cruelty to people or animals.
Threats, harassment, hate speech, exposure of someone's private information, or encouragement of violence, dangerous behavior, trespassing, or illegal activity.
Scams, spam, impersonation, deceptive claims, fabricated finds, or other unlawful or unsafe material. Keep submissions relevant to the duck's journey and suitable for a family audience.

Photo editing and removal

We do not edit the content of submitted photos or remove compliant photos simply because someone asks us to. We do not offer retouching, blurring, or correction services. Automatic resizing, format conversion, and removal of embedded metadata are part of upload processing; they do not check or conceal what is visible in the image.

We reserve the right to reject or remove photos and other submissions that we reasonably believe violate these rules, infringe someone's rights, expose private information, or contain illegal or unsafe material. We may act without prior notice or a user report, including after a photo has been approved. When content breaks these rules, we may remove it rather than edit it. Do not repost removed content without addressing the reason for removal.

We also remove content when required by applicable law. Privacy and copyright requests are reviewed under these rules and our legal obligations; this policy does not limit rights that the law gives you. Keep your own copy of anything you submit.

Locations and personal information

The find form asks you to select a ship and a town or port, rather than enter a street address or exact coordinates. It does not request your device's GPS location. Notes and photos can still reveal private details, so do not include cabin numbers, home addresses, boarding passes, contact details, or precise hiding instructions.

We remove embedded metadata, including GPS metadata, when processing uploaded photos. This does not remove information visible in the picture, such as a face, address, or cabin number. Check the image itself before sharing it.

You can log a find without an account. Creating an account requires an email address, a password, and a display name. Your email address is not shown on public finds or leaderboards; your display name can be. Contact us about privacy concerns or removal requests. Public content may have been copied or saved by others, and removing it from our site cannot remove those copies.

Families and children

Parents and guardians should supervise children's participation and manage accounts and submissions on their behalf. Use an adult's email address for an account and a nickname for its public display name. Do not share a child's full name, contact details, or identifying photos. Get permission before sharing identifiable photos of other passengers or crew.

If a photo or note identifies your child, contact us with a link so we can review it under our submission rules and applicable legal obligations. Avoid sending further sensitive details unless they are needed to identify the content or clarify your request.

Availability and responsibility

This free hobby site is provided "as is" and "as available". We do not guarantee uninterrupted access, complete journey records, or the accuracy of submitted information. Do not rely on the site for navigation, emergency assistance, or confirmation that a duck or location is safe.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, we exclude warranties and liability for loss or damage arising from use of the site or participation in hiding and finding ducks. Nothing on this page excludes any responsibility or legal rights that cannot lawfully be excluded. Our role in each duck's initial placement remains as described above.

Reports, removal requests, and contact

Use the Report link on a published find to flag a concern with its photo or note. Reports go to our moderation queue for review; submitting one does not automatically remove the content. For an immediate safety concern on board or at a venue, contact crew or staff directly.

For privacy or copyright concerns, removal requests, or other questions, email [email protected]. Include the relevant page link and a brief explanation. We may ask for enough information to identify the content and understand the request.

We may revise this page as the project changes. Last updated: 10 September 2026.