The Italy Pavilion has always been a favorite place to spend some time exploring during any trip to Epcot. Perhaps it's because the pavilion is as close as I'm getting to Venice any time soon.

The pavilion is, after all, modeled after St. Mark's Square in Venice, complete with a replica of Venice's fourteenth century Doge's Palace and the Campanile di San Marco (the bell tower of St. Mark).

Enchanted Tales with Belle was recently awarded a Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement by the Themed Entertainment Association.

The award recognizes excellence for the creation of compelling education, historical, and entertainment projects.

Guests as the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel can experience some holiday magic this year with the resort's Holiday Happenings event.

The month-long Holiday Happenings event begins in December and will feature a Florida-themed Santa and Mrs. Claus who will be meeting and greeting guests in Santa's tiki hut. The hut will be decorated with palm trees, flamingos, and reindeer.

Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resort were recently honored for the exceptional service provided at the resorts.

The resorts were presented with the Pinnacle Award by Successful Meetings magazine. The readers of the magazine selected the resorts based on the experiences they provide for meetings and events.

It's not often that one finds an inscription from Walt Disney that isn't in his famous script, but if you visit the Shadows-on-the-Teche, an antebellum historic home in New Iberia, Louisiana, you'll see his graffiti on a door in the home.

The home is the property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the door has been signed by many people over the years, including Walt Disney, author Henry Miller, and Elia Kazan, the director of A Streetcar Named Desire.

There are many different Thanksgiving Day traditions across America, and each one helps to make this one of the most popular holidays all year long. While football may be a tradition in some households, my family spends Thanksgiving watching the Macy's Parade and the National Dog Show. But did you know that it's not the only dog show in town today? That's because we're sharing two fantastic Disney shorts that honor this holiday tradition. Mickey Mouse is a huge fan of dog shows, and he's starred in two films to prove it.

Disney Cruise Line has announced a change to the onboard booking policy for guests.

Effective November 12, guests who book a future cruise while onboard a Disney Cruise Line ship must complete their travel within 18 months in order to maintain the benefits they receive for booking while onboard the ship. These benefits include: 10 percent off rates quoted on disneycruise.com, up to $200 in onboard credits per stateroom, and a reduced deposit on sailings of 7 nights or longer.

Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa at Walt Disney World is a charming Deluxe Villa resort styled in the fashion of the famous New York Resorts of the 1800's. With Victorian charm, this retreat is nestled between lush Lake Buena Vista golf course greens and the shimmering Village Lake, just across the water from Downtown Disney. It's a delightful property with spacious villas and convenient parking. In no particular order, here are 5 great reasons to love this hotel!

The Disney Store is starting it's Black Friday Sale early that makes for a "Magical Week" of winter treats adding up to big savings for shoppers. Online shoppers at Disney Store's site can find quite a few grown up goodies as well as a plethora of plush kids toys, games and costumes. It's always a very merry Christmas with Mickey under the tree.

Mother Nature can sometimes put a kink in the plans of even the most experienced traveler, but with a little pre-planning you can make sure that your family is prepared for anything. With a heavy winter storm bearing down on thirty-three states over this Thanksgiving weekend, it seems like a good time to revisit some of our previous articles on winter travel.