Cruise Cabin Magic At Home: Easy Towel Animals You Can Actually Make

Watch The Video

Fresh from Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas, we set out to recreate that cabin surprise at home. In this episode Beau and Sean fold a swan, an elephant, and a hanging monkey, then we judge the showdown and keep the winner on display.

Watch the full tutorial on YouTube

Download The Official Booklet

We purchased the illustrated towel animals book onboard and noticed the steps match Royal Caribbean’s free PDF booklet. Print it double sided to make a handy flip booklet you can keep near your folding space.

Royal Caribbean Towel Folding Booklet (Free PDF)

What You Need

• Swan: 1 bath towel and 1 face cloth or washcloth
• Elephant: 1 bath towel and 1 hand towel
• Hanging Monkey: 1 bath towel and 1 face cloth or washcloth
• Peel and stick eyes for instant personality (Amazon affiliate link)
• Optional helpers: binder clips for hanging, rubber bands or a discreet bit of masking tape if your folds keep slipping

Before You Start

• Use clean, medium thickness towels. Very fluffy towels are forgiving. Thin, worn towels are harder to shape.
• Work on a large, clean surface so you can keep edges square and folds even.
• Open the booklet on a tablet or print the PDF. Keep it within reach for quick checkpoints.
• Use the chapter links below to jump straight to each animal while you fold along with the video.

Swan: Step By Step

Jump to the swan segment (02:25)

Royal Caribbean booklet

Steps:

1. Lay a full-size bath towel flat and smooth it.
2. Fold the top left and top right corners in so the points meet at the center. You should see a small straight strip along the bottom.
3. Roll the two outside edges inward toward the center until they meet. Keep the rolls even.
4. Flip the bundle so the seam sits on the table. Check that the rolls are tight and even.
5. Shape a gentle “Z” to form tail, body, and neck. Pinch a crease at the neck so it stands and refine a small pointed beak.
6. Finish with a triangle face cloth on the tail and add peel-and-stick eyes for personality (Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4nitTJp).

Tips:
• Slightly looser body rolls read more like a swan silhouette. If the neck slumps, re-crease the neck and refine just the beak tip.
• Source: steps align with Royal Caribbean’s free booklet (PDF): https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/special-mkgt/virtual-of-the-seas/towel-folding-booklet-updated.pdf

Quick fixes: If the swan slumps, re crease the neck and loosen the body rolls slightly. If the head feels bulky, refine the beak by tightening just the last inch.

Elephant: Step By Step

Jump to the elephant segment (09:17)

Royal Caribbean booklet

Steps:

1. Lay a full-size bath towel flat. Visualize the long edge in thirds.
2. Roll the long edges toward the center until the coils meet.
3. Fold the piece together with the center seam on the outside. Stand it up so the coils face outward to form four legs. Press a firm crease at the midpoint.
4. Head base: with a hand towel, begin a mini swan. Find top center and roll both sides inward.
5. Shape a short neck and trunk. Roll and shape the ends toward the center until the face feels compact.
6. Detail the head: curl the trunk and open the sides slightly to suggest ears. If the trunk will not hold a curl, the roll was not tight enough.
7. Assemble: place the head on the body and accessorize. Test with the head crease up and then down to see what looks best. Add peel-and-stick eyes (Amazon link: https://amzn.to/4nitTJp).

Tips
• Beau’s sturdier legs method uses a crisp midpoint crease and firmer rolls. If the body sags, re-roll with a sharper edge and press again.
• Lean the head slightly forward so the trunk hangs naturally. A tiny hidden rubber band is fine while you learn.
• Source: steps align with Royal Caribbean’s booklet (PDF): https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/special-mkgt/virtual-of-the-seas/towel-folding-booklet-updated.pdf

Quick fixes: If legs collapse, re roll with a crisper edge and reinforce the midpoint crease. Lean the head slightly forward so the trunk hangs naturally. A tiny hidden rubber band can help while you learn.

Hanging Monkey: Step By Step

Jump to the hanging monkey segment (16:04)

Royal Caribbean booklet

Steps:

1. Lay a full-size bath towel flat.
2. Roll one short end a few turns.
3. Roll the other short end until both rolls meet in the center.
4. Check that both rolls are tight and even.
5. Fold the towel together so the center seam is on the outside.
6. Gently pull out each roll end a little to start forming limbs.
7. Pinch the two rolls together, then pull them apart to open the torso.
8. Hold the top and bottom firmly so the shape sets.
9. Head: fold a face cloth in half.
10. Fold the top corners in to meet at the center.
11. Fold the bottom edge under as shown in the booklet.
12. Fold the face cloth in half again to round the head, tucking edges into themselves until it holds.
13. Assemble: place the head into the body opening and add accessories. Finish with peel-and-stick eyes (Amazon link: https://amzn.to/4nitTJp).

Quick fixes: If the body collapses, confirm the seam is on the outside and reopen the torso by pinching and pulling evenly. If the head will not stay round, keep tucking the edges inward, similar to folding a pair of socks together.

Tips:
• Orientation matters. Step 5 puts the seam on the outside so the torso opens correctly. If it collapses, check that detail first.
• Pull gently in steps 6 and 7. Over-pulling distorts the limbs. Think small, even adjustments.
• Head shaping feels like folding a pair of socks together. Keep tucking the edges until the circle holds.
• Hanger hack: no clip hangers at home? Use a standard hanger plus two binder clips to grip the monkey’s hands. Remove the clip handles for a cleaner look.
• Source: steps align with Royal Caribbean’s booklet (PDF): https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/special-mkgt/virtual-of-the-seas/towel-folding-booklet-updated.pdf

Binder Clip Hanger Hack

On ships you often get hangers with built in metal clips. At home this simple substitution works.

1. Grab a standard clothes hanger and two medium binder clips.
2. Clip each binder clip to the hanger bar.
3. Pinch the monkey hands with the clips so it hangs securely. You can remove the metal clip handles for a cleaner look.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction
• 00:41 Towel Animals We Are Making Today
• 02:25 Swan Towel Animal Tutorial
• 09:17 Elephant Towel Animal Tutorial
• 16:04 Monkey Towel Animal Tutorial
• 22:32 What Should We Make Next
• 23:09 Scoring Our Towel Animals
• 24:38 Closing

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