A Disney family vacation is on many wish lists this season. For good reason, Disney is guaranteed entertainment for every age.

When you enter Disneyland during the holiday period, you’re effortlessly transported into your own little winter wonderland. It looks like a classic Christmas card with garland-wrapped lamp posts tied with big red ribbons. The bows are tied just right and for some reason, there never seem to be any strings of lights out.

Lomilomi means “to massage” in Hawaiian and I’ve most often seen it used with food – lomilimi salmon, lomilomi pork — but my lomilomi heaven has nothing to do with food. My nirvana came at the Laniwai Spa at Aulani, Disney’s new resort on Oahu.

When it comes to massages, I’m a meat and potatoes girl. I don’t like unusual treatments and hot stones are about as wild as I get. However, the traditional Hawaiian lomilomi massage description sounded interesting and I was on such a Hawaiian culture kick that it seemed like a perfect way to continue my “cultural education”.

The first thought that came to mind when I heard that Disney was building a resort on Oahu was that it would be another Disneyland in Hawaii.

It’s not.

Disney didn’t just build a hotel, put in a Luau and call it a Hawaiian resort. They integrated Hawaiian culture with Disney quality and service in every aspect of the resort.

I’m at the new Aulani resort on Oahu this week with travel writers from around the country checking out Disney’s latest family vacation hotspot.

Stay tuned for a full report on the blog … In the meantime, I’ll share a few photo-friendly moments from our surf lesson with Hawaiian Fire, a local Honolulu-based surf school run by area firefighters for Photo Friday.

Summer is busy at Disneyland. It’s peak time for family vacations and while you should expect crowds, lines and hot days, there are family-tested strategies for making your visit more enjoyable.

The upside of summer is that the parks are open later and the kids don’t have school so you can take advantage of the evening attractions.

Ciao Bambino was recently invited for a two-day media event to check out what’s new for summer 2011 at Disneyland Resort. If you haven’t been to the park in awhile, now is a great time to visit!

New rides, a “soundsational” parade in Disneyland, and a huge expansion at Disney’s California Adventure mean families with kids of all ages can partake in new experiences.

Is it possible to travel with a child that has extreme allergies? I put Disney to the test this winter. My son has Eosinaphilic Esophagitis, which causes a continued narrowing of the esophagus in response to food allergies, making avoidance of the foods the most favorable cure.

We were in the right in the process of addressing this when we had the opportunity to go on Disney Dream’s inaugural voyage.

I know it sounds crazy, but I had a terrific girls getaway on the Disney Dream.

When I received the invitation for the Disney Dream christening cruise, I immediately had visions of the adult beach at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay. White sand, colored umbrellas and fruity drinks (not the lunch box kind). The perfect opportunity to check out the adult amenities I missed on my family’s Disney cruise last summer to the Bahamas.

I was invited down to cover the inauguration of the new “Disney Dream,” the third ship of Disney’s cruising fleet. I had many preconceptions about what the ship would be like (see Hello Disney Dream for details), but here’s what I found most surprising:

Just how much my son loved it

My son kept saying, “This is the best vacation of my life!” Now, this kid has been all over France, Italy, England, Ireland, Caribbean, and the USA — this is the best vacation of his life. Wow!

When we think about a Disney theme park, most Americans conjure up images of Orlando or Anaheim. When you live in Europe, there’s an additional option to add to the list, Disneyland Paris (often referred to as Euro Disney).

We visited Paris Disney over New Year’s weekend to celebrate our son’s 8th birthday. After living in Switzerland for 5 months, we all wanted a dose of something familiar. Admittedly, I don’t associate a Disney visit with …