No more towel characters

[Carolrita]

I like to tip daily just because it's not always the same cleaning person.

 

[DDLand]

The problem with tipping at the end of your stay is that the mousekeeping employee who cleans your room may change from day to day, and the longer your stay is, the higher the probability is that a second or third person will clean your room.

This means that if you stay a week and tip a week's stay at the end, it is possible that you may tip someone who never touched your room a nice bundle -- while those who cleaned your room so well got nada from you. Therefore you should tip each day instead to increase the chance that your tip will go to the one who cleaned the day before.

In any case, you never know whether today's tip goes to yesterday's mousekeeper; but at least by tipping daily, you are more likely to tip the person you WANT to tip.

Though if you think about it, if everyone just tips at the end it will ultimately have everything just balance out because certain housekeepers or mousekeepers are not more likely then others to service end of stay vacations (except of course certain shifts may have certain times with heavier checkouts). So the money that you give may not go to the person you want, but someone else's money will.

 

[newtowdw1]

Over the years we received washcloth bunnies and ducks, big elephants made of bath towels and pillows with our stuffed friends riding, alligators and more. We've come home to the venerable Peter Rabbit reading to the clutch of younguns.

What we loved wasn't the towel animals precisely. It was the whimsy and personalization that made each offering a gift. That gift has taught my children to prepare little surprises for each other, especially if one was leaving or coming home after a trip.

The magic of the towel animals has nothing to do with the towel animals. It is the spark of creativity that one person leaves for another. Making a blanket statement "No more Towel Animals!" leaves us sad simply because a moment of kindness, whimsy and generosity is now not expressed. We talk here of missing Disney because I suspect we miss those moments. We try to take that spirit home. If we do not learn to create magic at Disney and disperse it in the real world, many joy-filled moments may be lost. Not the end of the world, I grant, but I like my world with joy.

I imagine those of us who tip our mousekeepers do so in the same spirit. I cleaned rooms for 3 weeks one summer... tipping is important to me because I never expected to get one, but if I did it was a joy! And I always tip everyday or never. Otherwise the person who worked so hard may not get the reward.

 

[MouseLovingMom]

Just received word from housekeeping and front desk management that their will no longer be anymore towel animals made in the disney world resort properties. Management said a focus survey stated guest would rather have cleaner rooms then towel characters. I'm lost on this but I just checked out of the cabins in Fort wilderness and saw supervision tell a 27 year employed housekeeper she would be reprimanded if she made any characters. Oh how the times have changed.

awe! I was so looking forward to those!!! 1st trip Nov. 11-19

 

[MouseLovingMom]

Over the years we received washcloth bunnies and ducks, big elephants made of bath towels and pillows with our stuffed friends riding, alligators and more. We've come home to the venerable Peter Rabbit reading to the clutch of younguns.

What we loved wasn't the towel animals precisely. It was the whimsy and personalization that made each offering a gift. That gift has taught my children to prepare little surprises for each other, especially if one was leaving or coming home after a trip.

The magic of the towel animals has nothing to do with the towel animals. It is the spark of creativity that one person leaves for another. Making a blanket statement "No more Towel Animals!" leaves us sad simply because a moment of kindness, whimsy and generosity is now not expressed. We talk here of missing Disney because I suspect we miss those moments. We try to take that spirit home. If we do not learn to create magic at Disney and disperse it in the real world, many joy-filled moments may be lost. Not the end of the world, I grant, but I like my world with joy.

I imagine those of us who tip our mousekeepers do so in the same spirit. I cleaned rooms for 3 weeks one summer... tipping is important to me because I never expected to get one, but if I did it was a joy! And I always tip everyday or never. Otherwise the person who worked so hard may not get the reward.

You should email Disney with these thought and stories of your children! I want towel animals! lol

 

[shoppie]

I just returned from 10 nights a CSR. towel Animals are alive!!!! DD received 9..count them 9 on our trip.... This does not include the mouse ears of the row boat created on our bed!!!

HERE IS THE PROOF!!!!!!

 

[JoWiJo]

Though if you think about it, if everyone just tips at the end it will ultimately have everything just balance out because certain housekeepers or mousekeepers are not more likely then others to service end of stay vacations (except of course certain shifts may have certain times with heavier checkouts). So the money that you give may not go to the person you want, but someone else's money will.

I was actually thinking about that when I wrote my post, but I didn't want to derail my own post with asterisks. Another asterisk I'd have added is that it applies to all hotels/motels. Anyway, the catch to what you said is that everyone would have to do it. And while it certainly seems that things would even out, my gut tells me that it isn't quite that simple. Some would come out way ahead while others get the short end.

Of course things get even more complicated when you figure in different work schedules and the fact that different people tip different amounts, if at all.

Either way, it's just food for thought. I usually don't tip housekeeping, but I did on my last trip to Disney. Alas, that was before I heard about daily tipping en lieu of end-of-trip tipping.

 

[Probles79]

Wowwwww that's just wrong... when my family and I stayed at the cabins we had at least 2 every day even had the bathroom done up nothing but animals every where lol

 

[Jadyreen1282]

None. Zero. Zilch at POR from Sept 4-12.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

Towel animals started as a random fun perk.

To make towel animals for every single occupied resort room is absolutely ridiculous. Now they have to stop doing it because if they don't do it for everyone, they can't do it for anyone.

The problem stared when people started requesting them, complaining when they didn't get them.

It used to be a special surprise when you got one. Then it became the norm and it was ruined. There's still plenty of magic at WDW. Just not in the form
of a Mickey towel.

 

[Probles79]

Meh I guess I can head to the hotel before my wife and kids and make them myself lol

 

[EmmaCate]

I love the Towel Mickeys! We've had clean rooms too! Doesn't seem like it would be too difficult to do both. I just think the Mickey towel is one of those nice little details that Disney does so well!

 

[ckcnj]

www.maketowelanimals.com

 

[Probles79]

www.maketowelanimals.com

Awesome I will start training now!!! Thanks.

 

[Amspaugh]

How sad! This is one thing that really set disney apart from other destinations. My kids have always looked forward to returning to the room to see what has been left. Bummer!

 

[JonnaP]

YES! I'm practicing now.. I'm going to have my towel animals one way or another

 

[TheForceIsWithMe]

Hardly a thing that will keep people away... You can still always get them on DCL!

 

[mfd25wife]

Responding to this whole thread about why it is customary to tip some and not others. First, I do think people tip lots of service providers (sanitation workers, postal workers, newspaper delivery people), it is just that we tip once a year at holiday time, which is not a possibility with people you only come into contact with once or twice. Second, I think why we do tip hotel housekeepers and bell hops probably comes out of the history of hotels -- back in the day people in these jobs were not paid a minimum wage and the people receiving the services were by and large relatively wealthy. I'm not saying it isn't arbitrary, but I think it's an explanation.

However, until relatively recently, tipping hotel housekeepers was not a common thing. I was recently looking at the history of tipping, and I actually found that today, ~31% of Americans report they do not tip housekeepers. In 2011, just 4 years ago, ~30 of Americans actually DID tip housekeepers. As recently as 2007, it was mostly business travelers who tipped housekeepers. Marriott Hospitality actually pushed the idea of tipping housekeepers by starting the "envelop campaign" to hint to guests they wanted them to tip.

 

[andiraye]

However, until relatively recently, tipping hotel housekeepers was not a common thing. I was recently looking at the history of tipping, and I actually found that today, ~31% of Americans report they do not tip housekeepers. In 2011, just 4 years ago, ~30 of Americans actually DID tip housekeepers. As recently as 2007, it was mostly business travelers who tipped housekeepers. Marriott Hospitality actually pushed the idea of tipping housekeepers by starting the "envelop campaign" to hint to guests they wanted them to tip.

Interesting. I did not know that. My understanding of tipping housekeeping was that it was an old custom. That the upper class used to tip chamber maids who served them when visiting in other people's homes.

 

[Kaimo]

Interesting. I did not know that. My understanding of tipping housekeeping was that it was an old custom. That the upper class used to tip chamber maids who served them when visiting in other people's homes.

if i was a chamber maid.... and had to empty chamber pots.... I would very well expect a tip...... Ewww.