A new complimentary perk is available at the Disney World Resort hotels. “Hey, Disney!” offers “custom voice assistance” to guests staying in Resort hotel rooms in Walt Disney World!
“Hey Disney!”
The service, which works with Alexa on Amazon Echo devices, assists guests with room amenities, guest services, planning, and weather info… AND it brings along LOTS of extra Disney MAGIC to make all of these things a lot more FUN!
Click any of the links below to jump to a specific topic about “Hey, Disney!”:
- Resort Guest Assistance and Information
- Disney Characters and Disney FUN
- How to Start the “Hey, Disney!” Device in your Resort Room
- More to Come…
- “Hey, Disney!” At Home
- “Hey, Disney!” Launch Timeline
- Privacy Concerns
Resort Guest Assistance and Information
By responding to vocal prompts, “Hey Disney!” is able to make your vacation easier by answering your questions and fulfilling certain requests.
Hey, Disney!
“Hey, Disney!” helps guests with things they might need during their resort stay. Say, for example, you need to request things like extra towels, blankets, or pillows. You can say: “Hey, Disney! Can we have some extra towels?”
©Disney
And then? Cast Members at the Resort will fulfill/deliver your requested items!
Need information about the parks you’ll be visiting? You can ask Hey, Disney! questions like “what time does EPCOT open?” or get other helpful information to help throughout your trip.
“Hey, Disney, more park information”
Additional information requests can include — but are by no means limited to:
- When the next bus to a specific park or Disney Springs is scheduled to arrive at your hotel;
- Dining recommendations;
- The day’s weather forecast;
- and more!
Amazon Alexa — Listen to music
You can even set an alarm to start your next day of Disney FUN!
Need something for your room or want to know when the parks open? Hey Disney! has you covered! pic.twitter.com/PKtCz1QaNi
— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) January 30, 2023
You can see “Hey, Disney!” in action HERE!
Speaking of…
Disney Characters and Disney FUN
Hey, Disney! also lets guests interact with some of their favorite characters in new ways. There are a variety of characters that make appearances through Hey, Disney! including favorites from Disney animation, Pixar, Star Wars, the Muppets, and Marvel.
Hey, Disney! Characters
These characters might even pop up in your regular information requests. For example, if you ask Hey, Disney! about what the weather will be like, you might get some comments from Olaf about just how much he loves warm weather! Or if you set the alarm through Hey, Disney!, don’t worry, because Dory won’t forget about it this time!
Hi, Mickey!
But beyond the (very handy) practicalities… some features? Well, they’re just plain FUN!
Time for a Story
You’ll can…
- Ask Hey, Disney! to tell you jokes. In the mood for a space joke? You can ask for a Chewbacca joke and you might just get a hilarious bit of commentary from C-3PO!
- Disney Trivia allows for some friendly competition between you and your family members;
- Soundscapes transport you into the worlds of your favorite characters with ambient sounds and music;
- Ready for a bedtime (or an anytime) story? A whole collection is available to listen to;
- And Magic Moments let you and your little one “go on adventures” with some of your favorite Disney friends. You might find that you get special messages from some of those characters in your inbox throughout your visit. All in all, there are more than a THOUSAND “magical interactions” that you may discover!
Soundscapes
Hey, Disney! may also greet guests with a fun character message upon their arrival, or a departure message at the end of their stay. Each day, when you come back from the parks, you might just find a fun character message waiting for you. You never know who might have stopped by to say “hello!” (These messages may even be tailored to different holidays.)
Character Messages
In addition to the Disney characters you know and love, there is also a brand NEW character joining the Club: your “host,” the Disney Magical Companion. This character serves as your guide to all things Disney and to the features available on “Hey, Disney!” This Magical Companion can answer questions, tell you the weather, set alarms, introduce you to characters, guide you to surprises, and more.
Hey Disney!
According to Disney, the Magical Companion helps guests “discover more than a thousand magical interactions, such as hearing special greetings and jokes from authentic Disney character voices, asking trivia questions and exploring audio environments inspired by Disney films and destinations.”
How to Start the “Hey, Disney! Device in Your Resort Room
Helpful information about “Hey, Disney!” should be displayed on the Echo device when you arrive in your Resort room.
Hey Disney!
The top of the device has a button that looks like this: ⊘ and upon arrival it should be red (which indicates that the device is muted). Simply press the button to unmute it and use the smart speaker.
Start and Volume Control Buttons
To start using “Hey, Disney!” device, guests may touch the interactive screen (tap “Hey Disney, start the magic!”), or say one of the wake words: “Hey Disney” or “Alexa.”
“Hey, Disney, start the magic!”
During your stay, you can use the device in the same way: start by saying “Hey Disney” to make requests, play games like trivia, or use any of the features discussed above!
Hey Disney! is currently LIVE in Disney World hotel rooms, and we’re giving you a peek at the new system! pic.twitter.com/yllWze1jVD
— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) January 30, 2023
Disney shares the following on the Walt Disney World website: “You’ll know the device is listening to your request when the blue bar lights up. You can always turn the microphone off by pushing the button on the top of the device, which will turn on a red ring to indicate it’s muted.“
Disney also states that, if your prefer, you may keep the device muted throughout your stay.
More to Come…
But that’s not all… the interactive MagicBand+ accessory can connect with Hey, Disney! and make certain experiences a little extra magical.
MagicBand+
MagicBand+ can enhance trivia games by making the band a vibrating buzzer that reacts with haptics and lights. It can also buzz if you set an alarm or timer with the “Hey, Disney!” advice.
Click HERE to find everything you need to know about MagicBand+!
“Hey, Disney!” At Home
“Hey, Disney!” is NOW AVAILABLE for Disney fans to use at home through their own Amazon Alexa devices. Specifically, the service is available to purchase through the Amazon Alexa Skills Store so fans can engage with the service from their own homes.
©Amazon
The Hey, Disney! skill is an add-on feature you can purchase on your Amazon Alexa device. The “Hey, Disney!” phrase works with most voice-activated Amazon Echo devices, EXCEPT the Echo Show 15, 1st gen Echo, Echo Auto, Fire Tablets, Fire TV, and On-the-Go devices.
At home, you can enjoy several of the fun features mentioned above like jokes, Soundscapes, Disney Trivia, bedtime storybook tales, and play-along adventures with Disney characters!
These are ALL the Disney Skills You Can Unlock on Your Alexa at Home
Additionally, if you want to feel like you’re living in a Disney World hotel (and who doesn’t??), you can take it one step further and upgrade your Echo Show device with a Disney-themed stand.
Amazon Echo Show
Learn MORE about “Hey, Disney!” at home HERE!
“Hey, Disney!” Launch Timeline
Access to “Hey Disney!” is offered as an optional, complimentary feature which is now available in Disney Resort hotel rooms. (According to a Cast Member, installation across the Resort — which began in November 2022 — was completed in February 2024.)
“Hey, Disney” was also initially slated to arrive at Disneyland Resort hotels in 2022; however, an updated timeline has not yet been announced for Disneyland Resort.
According to the product director for “Hey, Disney!,” this new offering is just the “first step into the resort experience of tomorrow.”
Privacy Concerns
“Hey, Disney!” is an optional feature for Disney Resort hotels guests. However, guests who have privacy concerns may find this post interesting and helpful.
Additionally, Disney has provided the following information on the Walt Disney World website:
“When the device detects that someone has said “Hey Disney” or “Alexa” (the “wake words”), it will listen to your request and send it to Amazon for processing in the cloud. Use of certain features through the device’s touch screen will also wake the device and cause it to listen for your request. You’ll know the device is listening to your request when the blue bar lights up.
You can always turn the microphone off by pushing the button on the top of the device, which will turn on a red ring to indicate it’s muted.”
Amazon Alexa is part of these devices
Disney Food Blog Posts Mentioning Hey, Disney
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WE KNOW DISNEY.
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