No more towel characters

[cakebaker]

It's been several years since we had a real towel animal in our room. We got the standard towel in circle Mickey head this last trip, but nothing on 2 previous trips. The Mickey heads were just a pain to have to take off the bed and stick somewhere for them to pick up the next day.

Years ago on the Dis, there were real arguments started because people who didn't get towel animals resented those who did. Kids walk by the windows where the collections were on display and whined because they wanted one..that sort of ridiculous thing.


Back in the day when we got "real" towel animals, this would've made me a bit sad, but for us they've been gone for years. I already got over it.

 

[fairy oma]

If this is true it is a sad day in WDW. My grandchildren were always excited to see the towel animals left in the room by mousekeeping that day and our rooms were always clean. The magic is truly disappearing from WDW and it is unfortunate. I do wonder now if people will be tipping mousekeeping less...we always added a little extra in the envelope each day for the time they took to delight the grandchildren.

 

[BagOLaughs]

were just a pain to have to take off the bed and stick somewhere for them to pick up the next day

Don't complain about those or they'll take them away too

I like the mickey head towels

 

[ArwenMarie]

If this is true it is a sad day in WDW. My grandchildren were always excited to see the towel animals left in the room by mousekeeping that day and our rooms were always clean. The magic is truly disappearing from WDW and it is unfortunate. I do wonder now if people will be tipping mousekeeping less...we always added a little extra in the envelope each day for the time they took to delight the grandchildren.

I was thinking that too. I think the towel animals were a little way to connect with the guests and I could see people tipping less because of this. Not that people would deliberately hold back tips, but just subconsciously. When you see the towel animal, it would remind you that a real person cleaned the room and cared, if that makes sense.

 

[tiggergal15]

A lot of people have said they took the towels...I wonder if that is part of it.

I never have taken home a towel "origami" animal, and wouldn't think to do so. Yes, the towels can be re-used.

Perhaps this plays into why they don't wish to do it anymore?[/QUOTE

The towel animals are meant to be taken home...they are made from discontinued towels that are going to be discarded anyway...they are ment as a magical extra for the guest!

 

[tiggergal15]

It's been several years since we had a real towel animal in our room. We got the standard towel in circle Mickey head this last trip, but nothing on 2 previous trips. The Mickey heads were just a pain to have to take off the bed and stick somewhere for them to pick up the next day.

Years ago on the Dis, there were real arguments started because people who didn't get towel animals resented those who did. Kids walk by the windows where the collections were on display and whined because they wanted one..that sort of ridiculous thing.


Back in the day when we got "real" towel animals, this would've made me a bit sad, but for us they've been gone for years. I already got over it.

Just curious why you never used the towels that were the Mickey Heads?.They were not meant to be taken home but were good towels that mouse keeping left for you in a magical touch. Instead of " putting them aside and considering them a pain" it was a special way to leave you extra towels. ...just a thought.

 

[Reddog1134]

It sounds like Disney wanted to get rid of the towel animals, so they threw them in a "fixed" survey.

Now they can spin it as "Guests didn't want them any more".

 

[JimmyBean42]

My kids liked the towel animals but I don't think they'll be broken up this next trip if they aren't there. However they would be devastated if the mousekeepers didn't decorate the front window with their stuffed animals in different poses.

 

[Rampy94]

Bummer! I look forward to what creation has been left.

 

[Kobey]

I hope they don't do any more surveys before my trip.

 

[Jfine]

I noticed on our last trip (two weeks ago), we didn't have any towel animals at BC. (But mousekeeping also didn't take the tips we left, so...) Our two trips before that were DVC, so no mousekeeping. On our trip last fall, we received one towel animal at CSR and one every day at AKL. Seriously, I loved our mouse keeper (? Lol) there. The towel animals were really well done and had to take more than 90 seconds to create.

 

[Topper]

Disney has approximately 30,000 hotel rooms versus 4250 staterooms on DCL. The towel animals were never placed in ALL of the rooms at the resorts, it was more of a pixie dust thing. Now, because of the internet, everyone wants one. 30,000 towels a DAY in order to keep the masses happy. DCL can afford to place a towel animal in each room as the prices for the staterooms allows it (and it has become an industry standard to have towel animals in cruise ship staterooms). I'm willing to wager that the front desks of the resorts receive numerous complaints every.single.day. from entitled folks not receiving a silly towel animal. I'd stop distributing them as well before I put them in 30,000 rooms.

 

[Thom72]

Disney has approximately 30,000 hotel rooms versus 4250 staterooms on DCL. The towel animals were never placed in ALL of the rooms at the resorts, it was more of a pixie dust thing. Now, because of the internet, everyone wants one. 30,000 towels a DAY in order to keep the masses happy. DCL can afford to place a towel animal in each room as the prices for the staterooms allows it (and it has become an industry standard to have towel animals in cruise ship staterooms). I'm willing to wager that the front desks of the resorts receive numerous complaints every.single.day. from entitled folks not receiving a silly towel animal. I'd stop distributing them as well before I put them in 30,000 rooms.

My mouse keeper on loop 2100 has over 27 years service and was very disappointed about the change. She takes pride in making the children smile. So saying we are entitled is crazy. It cost me 5600.00 for 8 days in a cabin with water park and hopper. I would rather pay a extra 5.00 a day to see my child smile then a bottle of water for 2.75. To compare DCL to WDW is so insane. A hot long day at the park to come home to a warm welcomed piece of joyment made from someone who cares and appraciate her job to make a child happy isn't entitlement. It's Disney.

 

[Topper]

My mouse keeper on loop 2100 has over 27 years service and was very disappointed about the change. She takes pride in making the children smile. So saying we are entitled is crazy. It cost me 5600.00 for 8 days in a cabin with water park and hopper. I would rather pay a extra 5.00 a day to see my child smile then a bottle of water for 2.75. To compare DCL to WDW is so insane. A hot long day at the park to come home to a warm welcomed piece of joyment made from someone who cares and appraciate her job to make a child happy isn't entitlement. It's Disney.

Other people upthread made the DCL connection. Did you miss that?

Bottom line, your "mouse keepers" job is to clean rooms. Do you really expect Disney to provide upwards of 30,000 towels a day to make children happy? Really? It's not the children at the front desk complaining, it's the parents. They are the folks with the entitlement mentality.

 

[englanddg]

Disney has approximately 30,000 hotel rooms versus 4250 staterooms on DCL. The towel animals were never placed in ALL of the rooms at the resorts, it was more of a pixie dust thing. Now, because of the internet, everyone wants one. 30,000 towels a DAY in order to keep the masses happy. DCL can afford to place a towel animal in each room as the prices for the staterooms allows it (and it has become an industry standard to have towel animals in cruise ship staterooms). I'm willing to wager that the front desks of the resorts receive numerous complaints every.single.day. from entitled folks not receiving a silly towel animal. I'd stop distributing them as well before I put them in 30,000 rooms.

I hear your point, but I disagree.

First, you state that it's a function of scale. That is incorrect. It is a function of staffing. It does not matter how many rooms there are, comparing DCL to WDW, it matters what the ratio of Mousekeepers/Stewards to room is, and how much time they are allocated to care for each room, as well as the direction and follow up. It isn't as simple as "well, WDW has 30k rooms, duh...", that statement is fallacious, and doesn't reflect the real situation.

Second, if it's strictly a function of cost...

A 7 night on the Fantasy in peak season for a standard non-veranda room costs around $650 a night depending on sailing dates. A verandah room is $806 per night. But, that includes the moral equivalent of the Premium Dining Plan. Pop, with a standard room, Park tickets with WP&M and Park Hopper and premium plan costs $449 a night. PORS with the same is $480 a night. Poly with the same is $889.

So, with that in mind, WDW pricing is close to in line with DCL pricing for a comparable experience, and less general overhead / fees (PORS doesn't have to pay port fees, and the like, for example). Especially when you consider that a Steward does it twice a day, and WDW only does it once. I find it difficult to believe that if it can be accomplished in one venue, it cannot be accomplished in another. It's a function of desire. Granted, not everyone pays that price, but it's fair to compare apples to apples.

 

[Dacky619]

We just got home yesterday from BLT and we did get a towel animal at Chef Mickey's. They said that housekeeping makes them regularly and they had a few extras so they gave them to some breakfast guests. It was Mickey shaped (basically a head with two large ears sticking out) with stickers for the eyes and nose.

 

[tiggergal15]

My daughter will be so sad we can't look forward to an animal to surprise us. This is just sad as our rooms were always clean and an animal didn't take away from that...total fail Disney!! Yes we still love Disney..yes I still look forward to Disney vacations..but I will truely miss this part of our magic....

 

[Dacky619]

Its the back of the towel Mickey, but this was taken 6/24/2015

 

[tiggergal15]

I'm hoping they don't take the "celebration " pins away next.

 

[karen4546]

We tip our mousekeeping staff and if we do happen to receive some elaborate "animal", we tip more that day. (when I say elaborate I mean more than 3 towels in circles to resemble Mickey). Sometimes we get more, sometimes not. We have never taken any of the animals. I take a pic of them and that's good enough (gotta save the precious space in luggage for souvenirs.)

I think keeping my room clean is number one, having it cleaned by 3:00pm is a close second (I would rather it be around 2:00 or earlier)

There have been multiple times that we have gone to our room at 9pm or later and it had not been touched. This was at the AKL and POFQ.

I was not happy at all-we didn't have towels and I just have to have my bed made EVERYDAY ! even at home - it's just has to be made.

I think the towel animals are part of the Disney Magic and I will miss them if they indeed go away.

Btw I don't think they make them in your room while they are cleaning it-I think they are pre-made and just set out. Maybe they could have someone sit in a room and just make towel animals -----wouldn't that be an awesome job?