Guests staying at Disney World’s Polynesian Village Resort are among the first to call on the Hey Disney! voice assistant with Amazon Echo devices. This week, the park began installing Echo Show 5 smart displays equipped with the Disney-branded version of Alexa. Guests can request amenities, ask for directions or park events, crack jokes or engage in other interactive activities.
Disney Parks announced the rollout in an Instagram post and said the devices would be placed in a limited number of rooms at the resort, and eventually extend to additional hotels across Disney World. However, you don’t have to use the voice assistant if you don’t want to. You can summon its services by saying “Hey Disney!” or the voice assistant can be muted during your stay. Because the device operates with the hotel room, it won’t automatically be connected to any of your Disney accounts.
Amazon and Disney first shared news of the collaboration in September 2021, and explained that Alexa and Hey Disney would live alongside each other on Echo devices. According to Amazon, this Disney version of Alexa has “1,000 magical interactions to discover” and a custom guide called the Disney Magical Companion that acts as its own character.
Disney fans who have Alexa at home can get in on the experience by paying an add-on fee when it rolls out to supported devices in the near future. Hey Disney will allow users to socialize virtually with their favorite characters, listen to stories or even ask Olaf about the weather.
