Are the towel animals "yours" to keep?

[Blondie]

Oh....and I personally have three creations here at my house that were fashioned from washclothes that were made by our mousekeeper at the Wilderness Lodge.

 

[maggiew]

Wow! I didn't expect that one. I am surprised, and happy, that they are considered gifts. Now I do not feel so bad for taking home a doll shaped towel that mousekeeping left for me.

Maggie

 

[motaei]

When we received our towel animals last December, I just assumed they were "gifts" and did not think twice about it. Until after I came back & it was mentioned in a thread. I am glad to hear that they were indeed "gifts". My conscience is now clear!

My rough & tough DS-10 loves his animals & displays them proudly on his bookshelf.

 

[faithfull]

I stand surprised and corrected!!! My apology!!

 

[Winka]

Thanks Blondie! That's an interesting twist!

I wonder if they will change or waffle on their official policy the way they seem to with the refillable mugs? In this case though, it seems like they have better control of how many gifts they can afford to dispense throughout the WDW resorts whereas the soda stealing is a much different and more difficult animal to tame.

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

I believe that when they make the towel/animals they use older linen. That may be other wise cycled out of use.

 

[Blondie]

I believe that when they make the towel/animals they use older linen. That may be other wise cycled out of use.

Good point! I know at the hospital I work at that the housekeeping staff uses washclothes for cleaning that start to wear out and are no longer considered acceptable for patient use.

Maybe that is the same case with the resorts?

 

[TnKrBeLlA012]

Whoopsey!!!! MY BAD

 

[hulabird]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have been vindicated by the MOUSE!!!!!!!

Actually, I was quite surprised to receive the 2 bunnies (and they were carefully handcrafted, I must add) because we were traveling w/o kids, but I loved them none the less and I took it as a gift as well.

Good to know I was not being a "thief"

 

[Mercy]

Whew!!! Ok, all the Towel Animal Police can put their weapons down!!

 

[BrerRabbit_fan]

Now I'm even sadder that I never got one!

 

[peachgirl]

If it's the thread I'm thinking of, I was actually the one responsible for starting that thread.

I posed the question because we had received several towel animals and it simply never occurred to me not to take them home. The thought that anyone would consider this "stealing" seemed a little over the top to me, but knowing how ridiculous it can sometimes get around here regarding "right" and "wrong", I thought it would make for an interesting debate.

It got pretty heated, but when the word came down from the all powerful WDW, it pretty much put the towel animal police out of business!

 

[DebbieB]

We took the little towel bunny from CBR home last fall. Never thought twice about it. I assumed it was a little gift. My mom has it on her dresser.

 

[Twende]

Oh and I left my little critters there! I hope the mousekeeper did not think that I did not appreciate them. I wanted to take them home..I really did. I only took a video of them. Dumb I know...like there were going to move or something!

Next critters are coming home with me! Thanks for supplying the info!

And yes I pool hopped once years ago. I went from the Contemporary to the Poly by monorail and I swam! There I feel better!

 

[CarolA]

I realize you have an "offical" disney statement, but IMHO these are not accetable to take home. Do you take home the other towels and washclothes too?

 

[Trekker]

WOW! I never would have expected that to be the answer from Disney.

I guess each of us should now just do what our conscience tells us!

 

[4DisneyfansinNC]

We've only gotten one once, and it was sitting right next to DS's birthday card when we got back to the room. I figured it was part of the birthday celebration, so we brought it home with us. Never occurred to us to leave it. I guess I didn't realize it was a common practice for Mousekeeping to do this. We probably wouldn't take it again, just because....WHAT WILL I DO WITH IT? LOL, the first one was special since it was for DS's birthday, or so we thought.

 

[Terry S]

I never would have considered taking the animals/towels. On our cruise our housekeeper put a new one in our room each day and left the old one there. We had a wonderful display of different animals by the end of the cruise. Now I am wondering if I insulted her by leaving them, it seriously never even crossed my mind to keep them.

 

[wdwdvcdad]

Originally posted by Blondie
Here's an official communication from Disney on towel animals.

This was taken from a thread on the Debate Board about a year and a half ago:

Regarding the taking of towel animals, me personally, it would never occur to me to take them if they were left in the room. Now for official word from Disney:

This is an email that was sent to Disney (not by me):
I would please like the "official" word on the following subject please.

When a guest of a WDW resort receives, in their room, a 'creation' fashioned out of towels/washcloths, for example a bunny or duck shape, with added stickers as faces, etc...is it in fact an intended 'gift' from Disney/Disney's Housekeeping
for the guest to take such an item home with them upon checkout....or is it considered 'theft' if the guest removes said item from the room and takes it home. Would a guest have to 'ask permission' from the housekeeper or other
Disney CM in order for it to be 'considered a gift'...or, is it 'presumed' by Disney that the guest will/should take the item home.

Put another way...are these washcloth animals considered a room amenity/decor/property as in bedding, regular towels, ashtrays, coffee pots, furniture, shower curtains...or a consumable, such as shampoos, soaps, matches,
pens, note paper?

Here you can see it being passed among Disney castmembers:

From: Walt Disney World Guest Mail
[mailto:xxxxx@wdw.disneyonline.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2003 2:31 PM
To: xxxxxx
Subject: Re: Message for the Walt Disney World Resort
Dear xxxxx,
We are forwarding this to the Legal department for handling. We have not replied
to the guest.
Thank you!
Sincerely,
xxxxx
Online Guest Service
WALT DISNEY WORLD
P.O. Box 10100
Lake Buena Vista FL 32830-0100

Original Message Follows:

The reply:
xxxx,
After reviewing the email below, it seems as though this guest is asking for clarification. Since it's not a suggestion or idea, I'm returning for your handling.
Thanks.
xxxxxx

And then Disney's official reply:
Dear xxxxx,

Thank you for contacting WALT DISNEY WORLD!

We appreciate your patience as we researched your inquiry.

While there is no "official" written policy, we spoke with one of the housekeeping managers, who advised that the washcloth "creations" are indeed considered "gifts" which guests are permitted to take home with them.

We hope that you will find this information helpful, and we look forward to future opportunities to entertain you.

If you have questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact us.

Please include your full name, E-Mail address, and reservation number if applicable on all correspondence.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

xxxxx
On line Guest Service
WALT DISNEY WORLD Reservations
P O Box 10,100
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0100Regarding

Dear Lord I love it when the DIS police are wrong!

anyone else waiting for retractions?.....

 

[safetymom]

I don't want to stir up the debate but this was one person posting a WDW reply. Are we sure that is what the WDW position is on this issue?