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by Soarin’ Diva

Who doesn’t love those special little touches of Disney magic on their Disney Vacation? There are so many ways to experience a little Pixie dust on every Disney trip.  I don’t mean those big things, like being picked to be in a parade, or being upgraded to a nicer room at a nicer Disney Resort (although I definitely wouldn’t turn that down!)  I’m talking about those cute little towel animals that Mousekeeping leaves on your bed and in your resort room.  The last few years, though, it seems like that little bit of Disney magic has been missing from our trips.  I’m not sure what’s happening and why that particular bit of magic is slowly disappearing, but I’m determined to solve this case!

Let’s start at the beginning, our fist family trip to Walt Disney World Resorts in 2009.  We wanted to make it extra special for our boys, as it was their first time.  The Pirate Rooms at Caribbean Beach Resort had recently been opened, our boys loved Pirates of the Caribbean, so we booked one of those rooms.

1O9A3394 (800x533)It.  Was.  Awesome!  Well, it was awesome for young boys.  For us big kids, it was awesome, but the beds are a little on the small side.  But I digress, this isn’t a resort room review, so I will carry on with the case at hand.  My boys were young enough to bring their favorite stuffed animals with them, and my youngest son’s favorite at the time happened to be a stuffed Charlie Brown doll.  Every night when we arrived back at our resort, we would find Charlie engaged in a different activity with a new towel animal.  One night he had a television remote in his hand, watching some Disney cartoons with a towel animal.  Another night, he had a book open on his lap while reading to a towel animal.  On and on it went, every night.  We loved it.  Our boys loved it.  We loved that Mousekeeping did more than just come in and clean a room, they tried their best to make every part of our vacation special.  It was magical and wonderful.

towel animal

Photo Credit: Stephanie Demmler

The next year, we stayed at Pop Century.  It.  Was.  Mediocre.  We did get two towel animals, one our first night there, and the other, we had to leave a note begging for them to leave.  To give them credit, they did leave it after we asked, but after so much excitement with it the year before, the difference was huge.

1O9A3396 (800x533)Every year after that, we have stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter.  We absolutely LOVE the resort, but again, this isn’t a resort review.  Back to the Case.  Focus on the towel animals.  We had the Mickey shaped head on our bed our first night there.  I think we’ve all grown accustomed to that little bit of welcoming magic.  After the first night?  Nothing.  The next day?  Nothing.  We left another note, begging for one for our boys, and to our delight, we did get a towel animal that night.

The next year at French Quarter, again we were greeted with the Mickey shaped head on our bed, yay!  After a couple of nights with nothing, we again left a note.  We received…no towel animal.  Okay, I understand that Mousekeeping is busy.  I understand that they may not have time to play with us, and that’s okay, we will accept the loss of the towel animals.

This brings us to 2015, our last visit to French Quarter.  Our first night there, we walked into the room, excitedly and eagerly looking for our Mickey head on the bed.  Um…Mickey?  Hello?  Are you here?  Did they hide you somewhere else?  We did a thorough search of the room, only to come up empty-handed.  We didn’t even get our “Welcome Home Mickey Head”.  We were at a loss.  What had we done to be deserted by any and all towel animals?  It was definitely time to get down to some serious investigating.

Upon arriving home, I went to work on the case.  Before you ask, it has nothing to do with tipping Mousekeeping.  Our family always tips generously without expecting anything extra.  Mousekeeping works hard, no matter what, and they definitely deserve the tips.  From all I have been able to uncover, this seems to be a disappearance mainly limited to the moderate resorts.  Many who stay in value still report sightings of towel animals.  Most who stay in deluxe have reported daily sightings as well. Moderate guests?  Most are relaying Missing Towel Animal Reports left and right.  Why?  Why Moderate?  Are we not good enough somehow?  Have we not done enough to appease the towel animal artists into sharing the love with us?

I still haven’t solved the case, but I won’t stop until the truth is revealed.  I have a mission for you, though.  I would love a report from you as to whether you have had a towel animal sighting within the last two years, and whether you were staying in a value, moderate or deluxe resort.  This case can’t remain a mystery forever.  With enough clues, between me and you, I think we can solve The Case of the Disappearing Towel Animals!

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