*venting* Are towel Animals a sign of a good stay?

[Erica]

*puts on flame retardant gear*

I have read a few good and bad reviews about the various WDW resorts. Most all "good" reviews have mention of the towel animals that were left by mousekeeping. Does that make a good resort stay?

Unless I had children 2-6 years old, a towel on my bed every night is not disney magic. I guess I am jaded coming from the hospitality industry, but a towel animal that is wearing my sunglasses does not mean service to me; a clean room and a smile and a "good morning" as I pass in the hall DOES. Personally I feel that I would rather have mousekeeping spend those extra few minutes changing my comforter, sweaping under my bed, or stopping me in the hall and asking after my stay and maybe suggesting something that we could do on property...that shows ownership and pride. THAT is Magic. That is what I feel Disney does well.

I am ready for the flames, but I had to vent. I know that the Disney CM's are going through a difficult time...but the posts I am reading it sounds like you have a horrible stay if you do not get your animals! Is that really true?


-Erica, has her goggles on

 

[Kimberle]

Flames are for candles, not here!!

We got none at our CR stay, but several at WL. I don't think it makes a difference at all where you stay (value or deluxe).

If they are important to you, you should just give housekeeping a call & let them know. I'm sure they'd be happy to oblige! After all, they can't read our minds!

 

[kevind65]

All of the things you mentioned in your posts are factors in having a great stay. I don't think towel animals makes much difference in detemining the greatness of a stay...personally, our family has never had a less than great stay at any disney resort...even if we encounter some less than perfect situations, the memories we are creating together as a family far outweight anything a resort does or doesn't do....

 

[TammiMcMan]

We've had many trips to Disney, with and without kids and never once have I had a towel animal. I can say, that all of my trips have been wonderful, with only a few glitches here and there. As for saying hi in the hallway or vacuuming under the bed, wouldn't this be the type of service you would expect from any hotel? We can stay at a Hilton, or a Marriott any old time, but for some a trip to stay on-site at Disney takes years of saving and planning. I think that tends to make us hold the hotels at Disney to a higher standard. Well that and their own marketing which includes resort phrases such as "stay where the magic never ends" and "every dream is just a wish away". Not all, but for some, that definition of magic includes adorable little towel animals.

 

[wdwfan]

Towel animals do not rank very high on our list, either. We usually receive them, but my children hardly notice them. They are what they are.

 

[safetymom]

I used to think that they made all the towel animals while standing in the room. But on our last trip I saw many of the maids with pre made animals.

I agree that many post about how they didn't get towel animals. I am thrilled when they do it because it is random. If it was every day then it wouldn't be special anymore.

 

[hmp2z]

Hahaha, I just read a trip report within the past 3 or 4 days, that talked about how they at first had a shoddy Mousekeeper, but then they got a "good" Mousekeeper, who left them towel animals.
I definitely agree that the quality of housekeeping services should not be judged on whether your Mousekeeper can make towel animals or not! I've read some weird reports here; it seems like a lot of people EXPECT things like free upgrades, birthday cakes, champagne & roses, etc. and then complain when they don't get them. I just don't understand it...
Cheers!
Heather W

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

I completely agree. Good service always outweighs towel animals.

 

[Hawk]

Originally posted by hmp2z
Hahaha, I just read a trip report within the past 3 or 4 days, that talked about how they at first had a shoddy Mousekeeper, but then they got a "good" Mousekeeper, who left them towel animals.
I definitely agree that the quality of housekeeping services should not be judged on whether your Mousekeeper can make towel animals or not! I've read some weird reports here; it seems like a lot of people EXPECT things like free upgrades, birthday cakes, champagne & roses, etc. and then complain when they don't get them. I just don't understand it...
Cheers!
Heather W

hmp2z - I agree!

Hawk.

 

[SeaSpray]

Before I go on to read everyone else's replies, I just want to say that I DON'T feel that towel animals equal what I consider to be a "good stay". I agree with you, good service comes first; a clean room and friendly, pleasant staff. I think too many people expect the towel animals now and feel jipped if they don't get them. Honestly, I couldn't care less if I got a towel animal or not. We've had them, and they were cute, but I certainly don't base my opinion on a resort by whether we get them or not.

 

[katrina1122]

during our stay when i've stayed on resort, sure they are fun, but that doesn't make or break a good stay....its the extra touches. We had one mousekeeper that noticed my friends and I all used bath and body works stuff and said she needed to 'convert' us to mickey stuff and piled our beds up with mickey shampoo, soap, tp etc. That was just as fun as the towel animal she left the next day. If you want to be assured of a towel animal go on a cruise, by the end of our 7 day royal caribbean cruise we had a full jungle in our cabin, including a monkey hanging from a hangar in our closet!
Yes, they are fun, but the fact that they make your bed and change your towels, vacuum, empty the trash and say hello, that's what really matters. I totally agree.

 

[Jestocost]

Originally posted by hmp2z
Hahaha, I just read a trip report within the past 3 or 4 days, that talked about how they at first had a shoddy Mousekeeper, but then they got a "good" Mousekeeper, who left them towel animals.
Heather W

Hmm. I didn't write a trip review, but I did write a post in the "bugs in resort room" thread that mentioned the towel animals. If you're referring to that post, you might want to read it more carefully.

A towel animal and a dirty room don't cut it. The fact was that the room had some cleaning issues the first two days that went away on the last two days. Coincidentally(?), the better cleaning arrived with a Mousekeeper who also left a towel animal and a personal note wishing us a nice stay. In my experience, a towel animal does not a good Mousekeeper make. But it's just a nice touch--going the "extra mile" so to speak--that certainly can reflect pride in one's work.

 

[pixiechick]

I'd rather have a clean toilet than a towel animal.

We've received them in the past and my DS appreciates them, then quickly forgets it. Apparently, others appreciate them more though. I remember a recent thread on one of these boards about people taking their towel animals home with them.

 

[epcotfan]

I agree with you Erica. No flames from me. I too would rather equate a good stay with cleanliness and friendly service. I could care less what shape my towel is in as long as it is clean.

On a side note I don't understand why people feel the need to take towel animals home. Why not just take a picture?

 

[dandave]

I don't equate towel animals to a properly cleaned room. I expect a clean room, but I do get a kick out of the towel animals and am always surprised to get one.
Whether I'm staying at a WDW resort or a Best Western on I-95, a clean room is simply a must. A towel animal is a little extra Disney Magic that never fails to put a smile on my face.

 

[SuBeat]

Gosh, I didn't know that we couldn't have a clean room AND an occasional towel animal. It doesn't make or break our trips in the least, but it does give an extra smile that even the most well cleaned room doesn't bring to my face. I expect a clean room, anything more is icing on the cake.

BTW Some of the best surprises haven't involved towels at all, but some very creative placement of the kids' toys. It is part of the Disney magic for us and I've never noticed a lack in cleanliness due to the extra time these special touches may take.

 

[wannabee princess]

For us, towel animals are probably the last thing housekeeping thinks about - why? Because my two ds's have a zooful of "animals" with them already! The excited reactions they get each night when they see what Mousekeeping (or the Turndown staff) does with their "pets" is priceless!

So, if you don't want to worry about whether or not you will have towel animals, take (or buy some when your there) some "animals" of your own! We never returned to the room without some set-up! The variety was great even after a week! One night the whole group (which got added to while we were there because we "had" to have new friends!) was sitting in a chair looking out the sliding glass door to the savannah (we were at AKL). At POFQ we returned one night to see several sitting on the window ledge "keeping watch for us"!

 

[Mad4Mickey]

I just made my 14th trip to Disney World and I have loved everyone of them . In Oct at the WL was the 1st time I had a Towel Animal . It was special because I had taken my 3 yr old nephew and it was his 1st time. I am making trip # 15 in Feb and I'm sure I will Love it ! Animals or not

Wishing all a Tagged night

 

[palmtreegirl]

I really don't *get* the whole towel animal thing either. Oh well, to each his/her own.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Nah, towel animals don't MAKE it good housekeeping service- but perhaps it makes some people feel a little happier with the same "good" service. I'm not sure...

I'd never experienced towel animals before either- until our last recent trip. We had a huge elephant (made with pillows and towels- and some of our stuffed characters were riding him and such) on our 2nd day and the kids were THRILLED. After that we didn't have more towel animals- but she arranged all our characters & other disney stuff in the window differently every day. I'm quite sure it wouldn't have thrilled me at all- but the kids got a kick out of anticipating what it would look like each evening once we were already going back to the room anyway (meaning they didn't think about it until we got close to the room though LOL).

She was a great mousekeeper though- she cleaned the room great, left us extra towels after the first night (probably because she saw the swimsuits hung up to dry and realized we were also swimming also), never threw away anything "questionable" -which was great... in case the kids had left something out that might be considered trash but I might have wanted to save for scrapbooking or something of that nature, and if we were in the room late on some mornings and forgot to put out the do not disturb sign- she knocked and was very pleasant when I explained and apologized for not putting the sign up. She did NOT knock or attempt to clean the room when the sign was up (which I cannot say the same for the mousekeeper at ASMu the trip before... who even woke me up when the sign was on the door- acted like she didn't know I didn't want to be disturbed ), -oh and if we did have the sign up -she would leave a bag attached to the door handle full of towels --- and I saw her a few times further down doing other rooms as we were leaving- and she was always pleasant with a big smile for us.

She could have not left us a towel animal one nor arranged the stuff in the window- and we'd have been just as happy with her service.

I emailed Disney about her afterwards- and got a reply that my email had made the recipients day and he would pass the praise along to her also- as it would make her day also. Oh and I did double tip on the days after we had the do not disturb sign on the door. I have to say though... she worked EVERY day of our trip- and we stayed 12 nights. Does she ever get a day off? That's what I'm wondering....