A Malaysian influencer known as Carmen recently went viral after sharing a video of an unexpected surprise during her cruise trip.
The influencer posted a reel showing her cabin filled with various towel animals crafted by housekeeping staff. The moment came after a cabin steward had earlier left a towel folded into the shape of an elephant in her room.
Inspired by the gesture, Carmen left a note for the steward requesting more creations. In the note, she wrote: “I want a zoo, many many animal towel plz,” along with a tip of S$2 (about RM7).
Towel animals are a long-standing tradition on many cruise ships, where cabin stewards use towels to craft decorative figures such as elephants, monkeys and swans during evening turndown service. The practice is often meant to add a playful and personalised touch to the guest experience.
When Carmen returned to her cabin later that evening, she was surprised to find the request had been taken quite literally. The staff had arranged an entire “zoo” of towel animals across the room, including monkeys, elephants, koalas, turtles, swans and peacocks.
Although the display delighted the influencer, the video sparked criticism online. Many netizens argued that the S$2 (RM7) tip was too small considering the time and effort required to create such a large number of towel animals.
The situation later prompted Carmen to respond in a follow-up video, where she defended her actions and clarified the circumstances.
According to her, the cruise package already included a US$45 (about RM210 / S$57) boarding fee that covered gratuities for staff. She also explained that she only brought S$6 (about RM21) in cash during her trip to Singapore and had already given S$2 (RM7) to the steward earlier when boarding the cruise.
Carmen said the note asking for a “zoo” was written playfully, and she had only expected the steward to fold one or two animals rather than an entire collection.
She added that she recorded the video simply because she was happy with the surprise and wanted to share the moment online, without anticipating the backlash.
“Whether he did it or not was entirely up to him,” she said, adding that the S$2 (RM7) tip was all the cash she had at the time.
To address the situation, Carmen said she later visited the cruise’s front desk on her final day and added an additional tip using her credit card. According to her, the staff expressed appreciation when they learned about the gesture.
The incident has since sparked wider online discussion about tipping culture, expectations of service staff, and how viral moments on social media can quickly lead to public scrutiny.
