towel animals question

[binkee12]

I've never heard of towel animals, but saw it in anothe post. Can someone explain this to me? Do all hotels have them? What are they? Thanks!

 

[cord]

Here is a link to a website that has pictures of the towel art left for them at the Polynesian. http://www.geocities.com/tarables/disney2.html
When we stayed at the Polynesian or our honeymoon we didn't see any towel art.

 

[Eeyore1954]

"Thanks" the the Travel Channel and many messages here, towel animal art is close to a "demand", exceeding even an expectation. Towel animals are just what the name implies -- "animals" made from bath and/or face towels.

I don't think Mousekeeping provides classroom training on how to create towel animals. Also not all Mousekeepers have time to spend making these art creations in every room. It's not like this is the Mousekeeper's primary task -- they are, after all, paid to clean the room, make the beds, empty the trash, etc.

Some Mousekeepers know how to do this; others do not. Some may find time to do it; others may not have extra time.

Some Mousekeepers take stuffed animals left in the room and arrange them in windows or on beds; others don't. But again, this seems to have risen well past the level of a nice surprise past expectation almost to demand.

Despite these realities, some people are disappointed when they return from the parks and find no special surprises in the room. Maybe the Internet has cursed us by elevating what was once a nice surprise to something too often expected.

As I posted somewhere else, expectations can be hazardous to a vacation, especially at Disney.

 

[gepetto]

In all my WDW stays, I've never had a towel animal.

 

[susy]

We had them at ASMo and CBR. We left out our Disney dolls and they arranged them in all sorts of cute ways (even watching TV). We also had the washcloths made into bunnies adn ducks, with little sticker eyes. Very cute. We did tip mousekeeping, but towel animals should never be expected. It is a very nice surprise when it does happen.

 

[ducklite]

In my more than twenty visits to the World, only once have I gotten a towel animal. I got a duck at the AKL. It didn't happen every day, we got one during the entire stay.

So please, don't tell your kids about them or expect them. The chances are much higher that you wo'nt get them than that you will. Then if it does happen, you can be delighted, and if not, you wo'nt be disappointed.

Anne

 

[madcoco]

We have had some really neat ones made over the years at different resorts but this was the first time we encountered this one at VB this year:
http://www.printroom.com/_vti_bin/ViewImage.dll?userid=MDM3&album_id=91624&image_id=10&courtesy=1

Here are a few others from this summer:
http://www.printroom.com/_vti_bin/ViewImage.dll?userid=MDM3&album_id=92128&image_id=0&courtesy=1

http://www.printroom.com/_vti_bin/ViewImage.dll?userid=MDM3&album_id=92128&image_id=1&courtesy=1

http://www.printroom.com/_vti_bin/ViewImage.dll?userid=MDM3&album_id=92128&image_id=2&courtesy=1

 

[dandave]

Hi! The only resort at which we have received towel animals was the AKL. After our first night there I had not left a tip. To me, that would be like tipping a server prior to being seated. You just don't tip until you know what the service consists of... *BUT*, after leaving our room the first morning, we came back to beautiful towel creations. I started leaving her tips addressed specifically to the mousekeeper named on the in-room card with a nice Thank-You message. She then would come into our room after having cleaned it and prior to turn-down service to leave extra towel animals. I had never mentioned this special thing to my children before this occurence, because I understood that it was not a given. It is pure chance. They and we loved it, however!! Our favorite animal was a monkey left hanging from the curtains. Gorgeous!!
On our last day at the BWV, our mousekeeper took my younger son's stuffed bear and arranged him on the bed as if he had been coloring in the coloring book while we had been out. I made certain that I called housekeeping immediately to tell them how absolutely impressed we were with this mousekeeper.
I take nothing for granted. Each special touch is a gift- not expected, but surely appreciated.

 

[Disneydenise]

Sometimes we got things sometimes we didn't. We did get the stuff toys arranged very cutely while we stayed at the DXL and CBR. The children were thrilled but it didn't happen everyday. If you have stuffed animals leave them out where the mousekeeper can see them and you may get lucky. I only had a few towel bunnies never anything as artistic as what Steve and Tara recieved but they are a young couple and seem very friendly so I guess that is why they got them and also I think it was a special trip for them. Really if you get it once during a trip it is special and if you expect it then it looses the magic.

 

[wld]

We were at WL this year for our anniversary in June and had towel animals almost every day. We had 1 the first day, not the second, yes the third. On the third day I saw our Housekeeper in the hallway and told her how much we enjoyed them and then we had a new one everyday!!! My favorite was my bride one sitting beside my Mickey and Minnie bride and groom.

We have also gotten one or two at CBR and POFQ.

 

[skiwee1]

We had towel animals every day during two trips to the CBR and one trip to the WL. It was funny at the WL. We saved up all the animals over 10 days and it looked like a zoo! The housekeepers would also incorporate my daughter's own stuffed animals and dolls into the scenes.

 

[MadMadamMim]

When we stayed at WL for our anniversary in 2000, we had towel animals everyday.. on our anniversary, mousekeeping made a heart with two bunnies in it.. it was SO cute!

 

[CindyKansas]

We had them everyday when we stayed at the WL this past January. We have had them at the Poly and on the Magic and the Wonder. We have also stayed at Dixie, Caribbean, Boardwalk, Grand Floridian and the Disney Institute and I don't remember having towel animals at any of those. Our DD loved them.

 

[SnowAngel]

I agree with everyone not to expect it. We did when we visted ASmu and didn;t receive it. Ver disappointed. Dh even asked housekeeper about it and she thought he was crazy.
If it happens enjoy it, it not don't worry make your own surprised for you family.

 

[lucki4]

We were pleasantly surprised one day with towel rabbits at our stay last month at WL. Also, 6 years, we stayed at AS and had my son's play figures in the window placed there by mousekeeping to welcome us 'home' that was another wonderful surprise.

 

[mirlow]

We have been to WDW 4 times and haven't received a single towel animal. I am actually happy about it. While I think it would be neat I would only want it to happen if it was going to be guaranteed every day. I can just hear my kids wondering why they didn't get one this day when they got one yesturday?

 

[musicfan]

We've been to WDW about 10 times for very long vacations (this time it was 3 weeks) and we have never seen a towel animal. And we tip very well (and every day). We tip because it's nice to do so, and don't at all expect towel animals. Just want to let you know that I think it must be pretty rare.

 

[4 Princess Morganne]

Last September while staying at YC I droped a glass bowl and it shattered - about 10 PM. I was very embaressed when I called Mousekeeping to come help me vacume up all the tiny pieces. The lady who came to clean up the mess was very kind and told me not to worry about it, however she did accept my $10 tip for this extra service. The next day we came back to a whole room full of towel animals. They were really neat! We checked out the next day, so I don't know if they would have continued to appear, but somehow I do believe that the tip and/or getting to know your mousekeeper helps! I had not tipped on previous days as service had been what I would consider normal for a high class hotel, however the extra help cleaning up the broken bowl and the towel animals the next day did exceed my expectations and I did tip accordingly.

Morganne's Mommy

 

[peedeejones]

We only got a towel animals on our trip to CBR two years ago and we have been to WDW a total of 6 times in the last 9 years. We loved our bunnies!

 

[Mish19]

Myself, my mom and brother went to POR and came back one day to a towel elephant waiting for us in the window. The next night when we came back mousekeeping had tied a washcloth around my Thanksgiving Eeyore and sat him by the bath tub (ready for his nightly bubble bath, no doubt!), along with that they had somehow made two towels into a man's tailored shirt and tie! You can kind of see both in the picture below.