Has anyone seen the "news" going around about being able to keep the towel animals Mousekeeping make

[Twende]

The wash rags that we used to make towel animals with the help of the staff, were very low quality towels. My guess is that they were ordered just for this guest/staff towel project. They were not something that guests would have been comfortable using on their faces or bodies. No one that stopped to do the activity left their creation there. Everyone proudly took their critter with them.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

I would imagine you could take hem home, yet Disney may charge the room for the missing towel.

AKK

 

[justgot2havefun]

For the simple reason that Disney would be spending money on these towels anyway. As stated above, the towels used to make towel animals are made from towels that are set to be discarded due to wear. So they can either throw them in the trash, or make a towel animal that someone can enjoy (and take home if they wish). Making of towel animals in no way impacts how many towels Disney has to buy, because these towels were slated to be replaced anyway.

Again, I'm not upset just asking: So when I don't take it home, and it ends up rumpled on the floor, how do they tell it apart from the other towels/facecloths in the Hotel Room? Are they subtlety marked somewhere we cant see it? seems like it would be easy to toss them into the rotation with the others cloths to be laundered and reused. I guess I'm just wondering: other than the one faceless CM quoted in the comment above what makes you so sure that they are only made from completely worn out towels? It seems like an awfully big pain to keep a whole separate inventory of "Animal Towels"

 

[Takket]

we've received animals many times and always been told we can take them. never hurts to ask if you see your mousekeeper in the hall.

 

[LeeAndRobin]

Again, I'm not upset just asking: So when I don't take it home, and it ends up rumpled on the floor, how do they tell it apart from the other towels/facecloths in the Hotel Room? Are they subtlety marked somewhere we cant see it? seems like it would be easy to toss them into the rotation with the others cloths to be laundered and reused. I guess I'm just wondering: other than the one faceless CM quoted in the comment above what makes you so sure that they are only made from completely worn out towels? It seems like an awfully big pain to keep a whole separate inventory of "Animal Towels"

The markings aren't all that subtle. If you look at the pic of towel animals on page 1 of this thread, you will see that almost all of them have eyes and other decorations applied. I suppose if someone went to the trouble of tearing those off the old linen then it would be harder to tell of the towel in question needed to go back into the rotation or not. If they go back into rotation for a few more cycles until someone notices they are worn out, it's probably no big deal.

It's also not an "awfully big pain" to maintain a bin of towels for towel animals. Remember, those towels were going to be thrown out anyway. So instead of throwing them into the trash, they can go into a bin for mousekeepers to grab to make towel animals. It doesn't get much easier than that.

Also, don't confuse a "towel animal" with the mousekeeper making a mickey design out of towels on your bed. They are two different things.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

There are towel animals, and towel animals - some are just towels folded and shaped into animals. Some involve glue and stickers. Those that involve glue and stickers are the ones that folks take home (generally). Those without glue and stickers fall out of their shape very easily and would not make a trip home very easily.

 

[Yellowstonetim]

I have not seen a towel animal I would want to take home. They all appeared to be normal room towels, were often larger, and they came apart very easily. There would be no way to preserve them. And in that vein, we had a different one every day. I wouldn't want to take them all home. I just take pictures.

 

[limabeanmom2003]

At every hotel, onsite and offsite, there are people taking towels (animal or not) home with them. I'm sure everyone knows someone with a bathroom closet full of hotel towels! I am sure that the hotel realizes what towel "theft" costs them on average and that cost is built in to the hotel rate we pay. if the hotels did not want guests to take the towel animals home with them, then all the guests posting here who ask would be told , "No." Take your towel animals and enjoy!

 

[Disneylover99]

I am not trying to step on toes, but why not just snap a picture and leave the magic for others to enjoy? As it was said above, that would allow Disney to spend money on actual maintenance, not replacing towels. I wonder if they didn't say yes because you asked; good customer service means granting requests if possible, and I imagine the unofficial policy may be don't encourage people to take them, but if the guests ask to take them home, then allow them to.

We generally do not take towel animals home because I just don't want them. However, we once offended our maid by not taking the towel animal that she made for us. So you can leave them behind if you like, but the towel animals are meant for taking.

 

[OZMom]

There are towel animals, and towel animals - some are just towels folded and shaped into animals. Some involve glue and stickers. Those that involve glue and stickers are the ones that folks take home (generally). Those without glue and stickers fall out of their shape very easily and would not make a trip home very easily.

I never would have even considered taking the towel animals? I thought that kind of went in the category or robes and bath towels vs soap and shampoo We certainly enjoyed them, but I never thought they were a souvenir. Thanks for clearing up the difference! I believe we only had one with stickers or anything on it, it was a mouse on the back of an alligator at POR. So the mouse we are expected to take, but not the alligator?

 

[Princess Jes]

Also, don't confuse a "towel animal" with the mousekeeper making a mickey design out of towels on your bed. They are two different things.

Excellent to note. This is not a "Towel Animal"

ETA: I can't upload the pic u wanted to via my phone

 

[HopperFan]

This is a "towel animal" - about a foot tall, very detailed, even a purse. The beads are the straps and glued to the folded purse on the front. The flowers were also glued to it.

These are the "towel designs" as opposed to "towel animals"

 

[cmhguy]

On our first trip, we had no clue about towel animals. We loved them and got so excited every night coming "home". We received several a day and had a lot of them by the end of a week! On the last night, our mousekeeper left a note telling us they were ours, and we could take them home if we wanted.

 

[sheetz]

I assumed they were for the guest to take home. I know that at Conrad hotels they will often leave a complimentary little stuffed animal/mascot for guests in the rooms, and those are a lot nicer than the Disney towel animals.

 

[JACKNAG]

Wilderness Lodge August 2014 Concierge , The maids left this note on our last day. Hope this helps

 

[cakebaker]

I remember getting in a heated debate about towel animals on this forum....oh, more than 10 years ago. lol I'm not surprised it still gets discussed. We take them from time to time. We asked, we were told, of course you can!

 

[Polydweller]

We also have been told...towel animals are made up from towels that have run their course and are going to be discarded. You can take them home and feel guilt free. We have.

Yep, that's exactly what they are. If you don't take them they are just trashed because that's where they were going anyway.

I am not trying to step on toes, but why not just snap a picture and leave the magic for others to enjoy? As it was said above, that would allow Disney to spend money on actual maintenance, not replacing towels. I wonder if they didn't say yes because you asked; good customer service means granting requests if possible, and I imagine the unofficial policy may be don't encourage people to take them, but if the guests ask to take them home, then allow them to.

They won't left in the room for others. They will be thrown out. What's not known by many is that for sanitary regulation reasons any non-personal items must be disposed of between guests. That includes unopened sodas and water bottles. Had a manager I've known for years tell me about the huge number of unopened and unused items they trash every year.

And yes, you are very welcome to take them. We have a couple of the very best we've been given over the years.

 

[lovewdwdvc]

We went to an animal making seminar given by housekeeping staff. This was a couple of trips ago. I think that we were at BCV. After we made the animals with housekeeping assistance, we were told that we could take the animals home. It was lots of fun.

 

[angierae]

We've never gotten an animal, just decorations (that weren't permanent like towel animals) but everything I've ever seen says that the actual towel animals can be taken home.

These, for example, we did not keep. But if we had an actual animal, I would have kept it.

 

[minniemouseforever]

I am not trying to step on toes, but why not just snap a picture and leave the magic for others to enjoy? As it was said above, that would allow Disney to spend money on actual maintenance, not replacing towels. I wonder if they didn't say yes because you asked; good customer service means granting requests if possible, and I imagine the unofficial policy may be don't encourage people to take them, but if the guests ask to take them home, then allow them to.

This is what we have always done. When my DH and I have gone to other resorts (sandals, where we had a different on each day), It just seems the right thing to do. Besides where would you put them all. It's cute for a while but then it just becomes clutter after a bit. They also tend to collect dust.