Are Towel Animals Important?

[Lee77]

Why are people so thrilled with towel animals?

I just read a review expressing great disappointment because they didn't have towel animals.

[SailAways]

Why are people so thrilled with towel animals?

I just read a review expressing great disappointment because they didn't have towel animals.

 

I would say they are seemingly very important to some folks.

Just a little extra which the cruise lines came up with, which now many folks look forward to. A new and different one each evening when their bed is turned back. Simply an extra touch of hospitality which some enjoy thoroughly. Especially children, and the young at heart.

You will not always find one in your cabin. As far as really being important for the overall enjoyment of a cruise, they would be way down on the bottom of the list for us. Cute, but not necessary at all.

Some folks are very disappointed when they are not furnished as usual.

[momofmeg]

Although I have always found them "fun" on my carnival, RCCL. and disney cruises-I can honestly say I did not mind one bit that Princess and HAL did not have them.

 

I really think they are more for the "kiddies" and the lines that attract families and children are the ones that have them. If I go on a line with less children I guess I can trade my towel animals for less kids. That would be an even trade in my mind.

[LARGIN]

No animals works for me..

[johnql]

I think (and I could be wrong) that the providing of towel animals is mostly dependent on the luck of the draw as far as your steward goes. I don't believe there's any cruise line policy governing this little extra. I've gotten them and not gotten them on the same cruise line.

 

Personally, they're no big deal. I usually find them cute if they're provided but I don't miss them if they're not. The one thing I don't like is if the steward goes through my personal items to find a prop or two for the animal.

 

Bottom line to the OP: no, they're not important to me. That said, I understand that kids would get a kick out of them.

[mikesteg]

No big deal here either. However, on a Princess cruise I made some for a couple of parties, and each time I got shorted towels the following day. I cleaned up well, so other than the full wastebasket there was extra work for the steward. I can only assume she thought the towel animal was a 'hint' and she thought she'd leave a hint back! :eek:

[DFritz]

I don't necessarily think they are important. Our family does enjoy going back to our cabin in the evening to be greeted by our towel creature. We do enjoy guessing what it may be each evening before we open the door and I am sure that we would be disappointed ( slightly) if he/she wasn't there to greet us.

 

It is an extra touch of hospitality that makes the trip more enjoyable. It is on the same level of service as: turning down the bed, chocolates on my pillow, pretty napkin arrangements at the dining table........

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

I guess I'm one of the "young at heart" folks that really enjoys the towel animals. I thought they were always an aspect of RCCI cruising, but on the ten-day Brilliance of the Seas cruise to Panama, we never were given a towel animal until the sixth night of the cruise! I even went to the Customer Relations desk once and asked if towel animals were no longer offered on RCCI cruises. I could not get a satisfactory answer.

 

We took a cruise on Carnival Liberty, two days only, and never were given a towel animal, but the new Carnival ads feature the animals. I did mention the fact in a review here and another passenger here told me she had a towel animal each night. I guess I resent the arbitrary nature of the towel animal...that you may or may not get one and you may not ever know why or why not either.

 

Of course, to someone who is indifferent, the towel animal does not matter. But to me they do. They are a happy reminder of our first cruise which was on Mariner of the Seas. We were treated to a different towel animal every night and I really enjoyed that.

[mcboo]

Would much rather have great service than a towel animal. If it give the cabin Steward or stewardess more time to make the cabin special. I am all for it.

Had rose petals on the bed on Seabourn. Like that much better than a towel animal.

 

Just my opinion.

mcboo:) :) :)

[Sassy Chassis]

We look forward to seeing what the steward has done to the cabin in the evening. Sometimes the "animal" will be wearing sunglasses and my hat or even under the covers watching tv! It gives us a good laugh and I always take a picture. It's just one of those things you don't see everyday and has become a part of the cruise adventure/vacation.

[Kudos2Fly]

I personally enjoy the animal towels. Most of the time we have received them. Also I think it depends on how busy the steward is. They sometimes may not have time to make them.

 

When I do get them I'm happy to receive one. I think its a nice touch if the steward can make one.

[dyslexic pirate]

Last week I was on the Costa Med and we never had a towel animal. It didn't dawn on me until I saw this thread. I didn't miss it or the guilty feeling I always get when I "sacrafice" one of the animals so I can actually use the towels.

 

On the last NCL cruise we were on my BIL was thrilled with the towel animals. In fact he left an even more creative one each morning for his steward! It was hilarious!!! Each day BIL and the steward tried to out do the other :)

 

I think the towel critter just gives people a cozy little "someone loves me" feeling when they go back to the cabin and it's been transformed with all the soft lighting and the turned down bed etc.

 

I've always wondered if they premade all the animals or rolled and folded them while they were in your room. And I do think it's cute to get them and love when the room steward uses props that are lying about.

[BobBeaSea]

Are towel animals important to us? NO....I think kids would get a kick out of them though :)

[momofmeg]

We look forward to seeing what the steward has done to the cabin in the evening. Sometimes the "animal" will be wearing sunglasses and my hat or even under the covers watching tv! It gives us a good laugh and I always take a picture. It's just one of those things you don't see everyday and has become a part of the cruise adventure/vacation.

 

They put on our towel animals my reading glasses-I guess the steward could not find the sun glasses. But then I had left out my reading glasses on the table right beside my bed-I WOULD HAVE resented it if she had went through my drawers to get my sun glasses.

 

We thought it was kind've funny that she used my reading glasses. I guess our towel animals were like me and could not see well up close.

[momofmeg]

Last week I was on the Costa Med and we never had a towel animal. It didn't dawn on me until I saw this thread. I didn't miss it or the guilty feeling I always get when I "sacrafice" one of the animals so I can actually use the towels.

 

On the last NCL cruise we were on my BIL was thrilled with the towel animals. In fact he left an even more creative one each morning for his steward! It was hilarious!!! Each day BIL and the steward tried to out do the other :)

 

I think the towel critter just gives people a cozy little "someone loves me" feeling when they go back to the cabin and it's been transformed with all the soft lighting and the turned down bed etc.

 

I've always wondered if they premade all the animals or rolled and folded them while they were in your room. And I do think it's cute to get them and love when the room steward uses props that are lying about.

 

I read post here at cruisecritic where a person took balloons with him and on the last day with his envelope tip he left his steward a balloon animal-he said the steward loved it and thanked him over and over.

[Whimsy]

We enjoyed seeing the towel animals on our cruise. I understand Princess doesn't do this and we are going to miss that little guy! :)

 

We have always gotten a kick out of what housekeeping has done on some travels. When my daughter was small and traveled with her teddy and blankie it was always a nice touch for her to see her teddy had been attended while we were gone for the day.

 

We have also been delighted to come back to our rooms and sometimes find fresh flowers on our beds and in the bathroom.

 

I think these little touches just make you feel a bit more special on your vacation.

[Krazy Kruizers]

HAL didn't start to do them on their ships until May 2005.

 

We didn't mind them - some were very cute. But I feel that the cabin stewards have enough to do without having to take some of their own precious time to make them.

[nparmelee]

It sounds like it comes down to expectations. We've never had them, never knew we were missing them, no big deal to us. I, too, have always wondered when people complain in a review about not having them. I guess they have had them on past cruises and the expectation of having them and not getting them is a disappointment for them. I would think that unless a line specifically states that you will have them, it's best to not expect them and be happily surprised if they are there. Usually when people do complain about not having towel animals in a review, they are complaining about a lot of other things too, so maybe it's just one more thing to bolster their critcism.

[Cotton]

Are towel animals important? Like beauty, it's all in the eye of the beholder.:D

 

I wouldn't mind not having towel animals, but they are cute and they do make this 'ol lady smile when I walk into my cabin and see it in whatever form.

[suzeyQ]

I like the towel animals. It's fun to come back to the cabin and see what will be waiting for you. My cruise certainly wouldn't be ruined if we didn't have them but I think they're fun.

[Bequia]

Why are people so thrilled with towel animals?

 

I don't get it either. First you have to feed them, then walk them and the worse part is cleaning up after them. Not my idea of a fun vacation. :D

[catmand]

We came back to this one night on Celebrity Mercury. Sure it was cute and funny, yes I took this picture. No I didn't think of nor care if the steward used some of our things.

Now, a towel thing is, at least until I think of something else, the last thing on our list of "things we would like to see/have on our cruise."

[chasetf]

Never had one, don't need one, but if given one I would enjoy it. :D

[ladycaveat]

I guess I'm just a kid at heart because I really love those little towel animals. I take a picture of each one and when doing my cruise album (scrapbook style) . . . I give each a name and decorate the page accordingly. It's not only the kids that look at my albums that get a kick out of the towel animals . . . my fellow attorneys also get a chuckle. :p

[Katie333]

To me they are one of the nice cruise memories. I *think* I may have gotten one or two on Princess as well. We usually take pictures of them, and I've even gone to the towel animal lessons.

 

I made a cat for our bed and my DH died laughing when he came home and saw it.

 

On the other hand, if they are not there, I'm not upset, as long as the room has been tidied, I'm more than thrilled.