Disney’s new in-room voice assistant, Hey Disney, has been a controversial topic. Some are excited for the new amenity at a Disney World hotel while others aren’t super jazzed about a microphone in their hotel room.
I was certainly skeptical about Hey Disney. I use a Google Home and don’t have concerns about the mic listening in (there’s a mute button and the service can be unplugged), but I didn’t imagine it would be any more helpful or entertaining than my cell phone. But, there was one feature that changed my mind.
Hey Disney is an interactive Alexa feature that is available in select Disney hotel rooms. It allows guests to use their voice to request information, make restaurant reservations, and even play games.
I experienced the service during its limited rollout while I was staying at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort for a YouTube tour. Check out the full video — including use of Hey Disney — right here!
The feature that won me over? Shockingly, Disney Soundscapes. I think kids will love the jokes and the park info was helpful — but nothing struck me as that different from the kind of thing that I can find on my phone with a 3-second Google search.
The Soundscapes can be selected and set to play for a length of time like 15 or 45 minutes, and they are so well crafted! Each one features Disney music and environmental ambience that rivals your favorite rainforest or beach video. Plus, you can’t find them when you don’t have Hey Disney.
My personal favorites were the Frozen soundscape (with music from Frozen and the sound of footprints in the snow), the Coco soundscape (with music from Coco, my favorite movie), and the Disney Parks soundscape (which sounded like strolling through Magic Kingdom). I found myself listening to them a lot during my stay and found them surprisingly enjoyable.
What I loved most about the Disney soundscapes was that they transported me to another world. Even when I was stuck in my hotel room doing work or getting ready for bed, I felt like I was still immersed in the magic of Disney World. It was the perfect way to wind down after a long day of exploring the parks.
Hey Disney is set to roll out to more Disney hotel rooms in the coming months, and you can learn more about it right here on AllEars.Net.
Click here to see 36 things that surprised me about Hey Disney!
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What do you think of Hey Disney? Tell us in the comments!
I’m frustrated that the length of time for Soundscapes is a problem. We use Hey Disney with our Alexa and we set the playback length for 120 minutes but we only get 8-10. That’s frustrating. We love the Star Wars soundscape. The Pirate soundscape is a weird one. We’re not sure how a line guitar playing Oh Susanna is piratey: “I come from Alabama with a banjo on my knee…” yeah Alabama. Famous for all the pirates that come from there.
Same here! I was prepared to hate having Amazon listening in on me, but I fell in love with the soundscapes! My favorite were Nemo & Moana, since we were staying in a Finding Nemo Family Suite at Art of Animation.
Now I’m back home looking at possibly buying one for our kitchen.