If I particularly want to see towel animals, what should I do?

[willoL]

I took my kids on their first HAL cruise when they were young (early elementary school/preschool aged.) They loved it and swore--for years!--that they would ONLY sail with Holland America Line, and on the Maasdam in particular. 🙂  (They did eventually acquiesce to a Crystal Cruise a few years later, which is how we talked their dad into going on cruises in spite of his fear of motion sickness.)

 

COVID-allowing, we will return to Holland America this August, a decade later, aboard the Nieuw Statendam.

 

Looking at photos together recently, my younger teen commented on how amazing those towel animals were when we sailed on the Maasdam. You can see from the attached picture how delighted my little guy was by one of the creations in our cabin. He's embracing the silly little thing.

 

I wish I weren't so adamant about not posting their faces on the internet; his expression was positively angelic.

 

For August, if I ask our cabin steward for "more than the usual" towel animals, does anyone have a suggestion for how much I should tip along with the request? (This will be Mom requesting towel animals for the kids' cabin across the hall.)

 

Do you think leaving a note will work to get the request across, or do I need to catch someone to ask in person?

 

Also, if we (parents) are in a corner aft Neptune Suite with the kids across the hall in an inside cabin, will we probably have the same steward, or should I be leaving a note specifically in the teens' room and expecting a different staff member to do the job?

 

It strikes me as odd if team members don't work in adjoining rooms, but, then again, I've never worked on a ship. That said, I'm fine with doing what I must to communicate effectively to the hard-working people who--let's face it!--really make my cruise an amazing vacation instead of an average one.

 

I want to delight my kid, and I need the room steward's help to do so. How should I go about enlisting their help?

 

Thanks!

--willo

[CruiserBruce]

How much you tip is always personal. And dependent on what extra effort is provided. Also things like how long the cruise is.

 

Most likely you will meet at least one of your cabin attendants the day you board. Ask them then.

[Crew News]

The Explorations Cafe will be selling towel-animal books that might make a nice gift to your kids.  What a unique skill to amaze their friends!

[oaktreerb]

Tell the room stewards on the first day your story about how much the youngsters enjoyed the towel animals and that they are looking forward to the towel animals on this cruise.  Maybe show them the picture you posted here.  The room stewards  are always eager to please.  The eyes have been discontinued so I suggest you plan to create some paper eyes.  I think the paper eyes were causing problems in the laundry when they were not removed first.  I just cut out some paper ovals and drew eyes with a pen.  The stewards created the animals and I added the eyes.  They left the eyes behind for me to use for the next animal.

Edited April 9, 2022 by oaktreerb

[FOPMan]

Here’s a book: https://www.amazon.com/Carnival-Towel-Creations-40-Designs/dp/B000PL6P4E

[Btimmer]

We spent a month on the Zuiderdam in January and chatted with our cabin attendant and we had towel animals every night.  We added a little stuffed dog to accompany them and he upped the game!  We also love towel animals.

 

 

Edited April 9, 2022 by Btimmer

[Seanat]

I would ask at the front desk to see if there will be a morning that they are displayed at the pool area or elsewhere.

[dfilpus]

On our (pre-Covid) cruise, the Stewards gave a class in making towel animals in one of the meeting rooms on a sea day. They made animals that we did not see in our room.

[OlsSalt]

On the Maasdam InDepth cruise that included Easter Island, one of the enrichment speakers from Australia was a specialist in bats. This became a running joke in his many excellent talks on the biodiversity of the areas we were visiting.

 

Towards the end of that cruise, there was a towel animal bat hanging from the window curtains.

 

Had never seen anything like that during our own many days enjoying our HAL towel animals. So we assumed  they created this especially in honor of our "Bat Man" professor, who was equally pleased when he saw it. Since this was his own first HAL cruise, he was unaware this may have been created just for him. Anyway,  it was nice to think that it was. 

 

I did get the towel animal book and learned most of them  were really hard to make - increased my own  appreciation ...... a hundred fold!    😜

[willoL]

On 4/8/2022 at 11:03 PM, FOPMan said:

Here’s a book: https://www.amazon.com/Carnival-Towel-Creations-40-Designs/dp/B000PL6P4E

 

Thanks, @FOPMan! HAL sells a similar book in the "Gifts & Indulgences" section from which I can order before we sail. (Price is similar to the copy on Amazon, too, so not a big splurge.) 💰 I think I will request one for my son, if only because it is so touching to a mother to have a growing teen show such a sweet, sentimental streak about a trip we took when he was little.

 

Of course, if @OlsSalt has it right, who knows if any of us will be clever enough with our hands to actually create these beauties. (How I would have enjoyed a towel bat!)

 

I will take @oaktreerb's advice and bring an assortment of paper eyes. Now that may be the weirdest thing I've ever added to my packing list... 🤣

[LindaJ+]

I have the opposite question.  I'd prefer if the already-overworked staff did NOT fuss with towel animals for our room.  If I tell the stewards on the first day "NO TOWEL ANIMALS" ... will they be relieved or insulted?

[StLouisCruisers]

44 minutes ago, LindaJ+ said:

I have the opposite question.  I'd prefer if the already-overworked staff did NOT fuss with towel animals for our room.  If I tell the stewards on the first day "NO TOWEL ANIMALS" ... will they be relieved or insulted?

 

I can't say what their feelings will be but certainly they will be happy to do whatever you ask of them.  

[MISTER 67]

1 hour ago, LindaJ+ said:

I have the opposite question.  I'd prefer if the already-overworked staff did NOT fuss with towel animals for our room.  If I tell the stewards on the first day "NO TOWEL ANIMALS" ... will they be relieved or insulted?

My guess is relieved.

[jeh10641]

On 4/8/2022 at 4:56 PM, willoL said:

I took my kids on their first HAL cruise when they were young (early elementary school/preschool aged.) They loved it and swore--for years!--that they would ONLY sail with Holland America Line, and on the Maasdam in particular. 🙂  (They did eventually acquiesce to a Crystal Cruise a few years later, which is how we talked their dad into going on cruises in spite of his fear of motion sickness.)

 

COVID-allowing, we will return to Holland America this August, a decade later, aboard the Nieuw Statendam.

 

Looking at photos together recently, my younger teen commented on how amazing those towel animals were when we sailed on the Maasdam. You can see from the attached picture how delighted my little guy was by one of the creations in our cabin. He's embracing the silly little thing.

 

I wish I weren't so adamant about not posting their faces on the internet; his expression was positively angelic.

 

For August, if I ask our cabin steward for "more than the usual" towel animals, does anyone have a suggestion for how much I should tip along with the request? (This will be Mom requesting towel animals for the kids' cabin across the hall.)

 

Do you think leaving a note will work to get the request across, or do I need to catch someone to ask in person?

 

Also, if we (parents) are in a corner aft Neptune Suite with the kids across the hall in an inside cabin, will we probably have the same steward, or should I be leaving a note specifically in the teens' room and expecting a different staff member to do the job?

 

It strikes me as odd if team members don't work in adjoining rooms, but, then again, I've never worked on a ship. That said, I'm fine with doing what I must to communicate effectively to the hard-working people who--let's face it!--really make my cruise an amazing vacation instead of an average one.

 

I want to delight my kid, and I need the room steward's help to do so. How should I go about enlisting their help?

 

Thanks!

--willo

Funny you mention this. La Lido Loca on You Tube had a post today. He was on a Norwegian Dawn cruise and on the last day he got a towel animal. When he spoke to his room steward, she told him that even though it was Norwegian's policy to not leave them, if you ask the room steward you might just get one.

 

Jim

[willoL]

4 minutes ago, jeh10641 said:

...even though it was Norwegian's policy to not leave them, if you ask the room steward you might just get one.

 

Jim

I'm willing to beg if that's what it takes. Also, I am leaning toward going against my usual pattern and tipping in advance (with this request) since I believe I'm asking for something above and beyond.

 

I sure hope it isn't actually offensive to the room steward; I'm not looking to torment anyone, just to delight my kid.

 

Thanks, @jeh10641 🙂

[jeh10641]

1 minute ago, willoL said:

I'm willing to beg if that's what it takes. Also, I am leaning toward going against my usual pattern and tipping in advance (with this request) since I believe I'm asking for something above and beyond.

 

I sure hope it isn't actually offensive to the room steward; I'm not looking to torment anyone, just to delight my kid.

 

Thanks, @jeh10641 🙂

Hello, willol,

I usually tip my room stewards $20 each on boarding day. Even if I do not ask for special care. On our Rotterdam cruise in Dec. 2021, we had towel animals every night without asking for them.

 

Jim

[arosetti]

you don't think the poor guys work har enough, cleaning a couple dozen cabins a night without having to make stupid towel animals that they hate making? Good lord just Google the images and let them get a decent night sleep one night!

[zgscl]

Just let them know your preference. I have always had excellent cabin attendants on HAL and they always will do whatever they can to make you happy. And of course I always tip them accordingly at the end  of the cruise on top of the automatic gratuity. Also use the feedback section of the navigator app to share positive comments/experiences or any issues throughout your cruise. These are a direct line to management onboard and I have always heard back from a manager shortly after submitting one. Also I have been personally thanked by multiple crew members for submitting a comment about them. These are taken very seriously by management and can help with promotions, better assignments, etc. 

[zgscl]

6 hours ago, arosetti said:

you don't think the poor guys work har enough, cleaning a couple dozen cabins a night without having to make stupid towel animals that they hate making? Good lord just Google the images and let them get a decent night sleep one night!

Everyone has parts of their job they love and parts they hate. I would never assume that all cabin attendants hate making them. While some certainly do, others may enjoy having a creative outlet. They are also extremely efficient and hard working folks who across the board want you to enjoy your vacation. Towel animals are a service that is available upon request and sometimes without being requested. Passengers have every right to request or refuse this service and while not required should consider leaving an additional gratuity in line with any extra services requested. 

[zgscl]

7 hours ago, willoL said:

I'm willing to beg if that's what it takes. Also, I am leaning toward going against my usual pattern and tipping in advance (with this request) since I believe I'm asking for something above and beyond.

 

I sure hope it isn't actually offensive to the room steward; I'm not looking to torment anyone, just to delight my kid.

 

Thanks, @jeh10641 🙂

You will absolutely not have to beg. Just say that your kid enjoys them and they will get you taken care of. I got one on my first night and I told my cabin attendant that it was really cute. They got progressively more creative with the towel animals and I actually got two on most days (one with the AM service and one with the PM service). HAL has some of the best and hardest working crew afloat. They want you to have a fantastic vacation and will do anything they can (within reason) to make your trip a pleasant one. 

 

Some of their creations from my last trip 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willoL]

@zgscl Those are absolutely wonderful! I would be thrilled with half so much creativity if we get so lucky. I can't imagine anything better than the hilarious character showing up on the toilet to amuse my teens.

 

I always leave my room pretty tidy (and demand the same from my kids), much more so than at home when someone else is cleaning up after us aboard a ship or in a hotel. Nor do I need ice or most other common daily requests. I tidy away my personal items from the bathroom counter to make cleaning it easier. I typically ask that the sheets be changed LESS frequently than the daily standard when I travel because bleach in commercial laundry irritates my skin and seems to dissipate with time. I actually work hard to be a good guest, whether in someone's home, or in public accommodations.

 

I am trying not to feel bad about asking for this special touch when my family only takes a big vacation every five years or so. It's odd how hostile this seems to make some people. I'll make sure the steward knows it is okay by me to only make a towel animal on his/her lighter duty days. It's a 24 day cruise; I certainly hope at least a few of those days aren't robbing every attendant of time to rest and meet his/her basic needs!

[Horizon chaser 1957]

Go for it!

The cabin stewards on HAL are great and genuinely enjoy making people smile. Since there are other services you DON’T need, asking them for towel animals that will be enjoyed by your family is in no way out of line. When we did the Asia Collector on the Volendam, I was buying carved animals as souvenirs and put them on the windowsill. Our steward started arranging them into little scenes. I would arrange them into a different scene. Sometimes the towel animal would join the group. It was fun.

Yes, they work hard, and yes they work long hours. If they can have a little fun creating something that is appreciated, it makes the day go better than just picking up underwear that’s been left all over the floor.

[jeh10641]

17 hours ago, arosetti said:

you don't think the poor guys work har enough, cleaning a couple dozen cabins a night without having to make stupid towel animals that they hate making? Good lord just Google the images and let them get a decent night sleep one night!

Just so you know, I did not request the towel animals. They just appeared Adi and Roby were two fun guys to work with. I also bought them chocolate bars in St. Lucia.

 

Jim

[zgscl]

3 hours ago, willoL said:

@zgscl Those are absolutely wonderful! I would be thrilled with half so much creativity if we get so lucky. I can't imagine anything better than the hilarious character showing up on the toilet to amuse my teens.

 

I always leave my room pretty tidy (and demand the same from my kids), much more so than at home when someone else is cleaning up after us aboard a ship or in a hotel. Nor do I need ice or most other common daily requests. I tidy away my personal items from the bathroom counter to make cleaning it easier. I typically ask that the sheets be changed LESS frequently than the daily standard when I travel because bleach in commercial laundry irritates my skin and seems to dissipate with time. I actually work hard to be a good guest, whether in someone's home, or in public accommodations.

 

I am trying not to feel bad about asking for this special touch when my family only takes a big vacation every five years or so. It's odd how hostile this seems to make some people. I'll make sure the steward knows it is okay by me to only make a towel animal on his/her lighter duty days. It's a 24 day cruise; I certainly hope at least a few of those days aren't robbing every attendant of time to rest and meet his/her basic needs!

I really enjoyed it and they clearly had fun being creative. It was always a surprise. At first I thought there wasn’t one when I got back until I went in the bathroom to get ready for bed. On a 24 day cruise I’m sure you will get some great ones. Please do share with us anything fun!!

[idiebabe]

On 4/8/2022 at 7:56 PM, willoL said:

Also, if we (parents) are in a corner aft Neptune Suite with the kids across the hall in an inside cabin, will we probably have the same steward, or should I be leaving a note specifically in the teens' room and expecting a different staff member to do the job?

--willo

We were on the 3/16 NS Cruise and our Room was located by the Aft Elevators.  Our Room Attendant worked alone and had 17 Rooms to take care of including the Inside Rooms.  (Maybe it will change by the time you Sail but hope that helps to answer your question that the Room Attendant will be doing both your Room and your Teenagers Room.)  The bank of Rooms after ours had two Attendants taking care of 34 Rooms.

 

On Embark Day when he introduced himself he informed us that Towel Animals and Chocolates are now only on Gala Nights.  This was a change from our previous Cruise on NS in December.  It was at this time he asked if we wanted once or twice a day Service.  We did get the Towel Animals on the Gala Nights and the display on Lido the last Sea Day was awesome!