Disneyland Countdown is On! {Red Lion Hotel Preview} #MamaGoesCali

The countdown to my Disneyland Resort trip is officially on!

I’ve passed the one-month mark, which means my excitement level has jumped from a 10 to a 15.

The last week has been spent reading, browsing, and soaking up every bit of information I could.  I also stalked followed along with the tweets and blog posts from the first Disney California Adventure media event last week.  The Disney Food Blog has some great articles up regarding the new food and beverage options for Cars Land. Warning: you will drool.

I’ve also been thinking a lot about how different this trip will be.  Disneyland is not my “Disney home”/territory.  I feel very much as if I’m going to someone else’s home for the first time.  Unsure of where to go, what to do, and not wanting to step on toes.  It’s a very odd feeling to have.  I won’t know my way around the parks without a map.  LAX is a completely new airport for me.  There’s no Magical Express and I’m staying “off-property”.  It’s like being the new kid on the first day of school.  It’s exciting and terrifying all at the same time, just like new adventures in travel should be, right?

Speaking of my hotel, I’m very excited to be staying at the Red Lion Anaheim.  The Red Lion came highly recommended to me by a close friend and reviews I’ve found online have been very favorable.  The Red Lion is located within walking distance to both Disneyland Resort and the Anaheim Convention Center.  I’m excited about the close proximity as I will not be driving when I arrive in California.  It will be nice to be able to walk to the parks or to eat/shop and not have to worry about driving anywhere because, honestly? The thought of driving in CA scares me, y’all.  And this is from a girl who grew up driving in NYC.

Red Lion Anaheim is also one of the few hotels in the area who cater to the military traveler by offering a great military promotional rate and other discounts.  I like that the Red Lion is catering to not only the military member, but their families.  So many hotels only cater to the military traveler on orders and don’t really offer great discounts, just per diem rates.

Combine the military discount at Red Lion with Disneyland’s Three-Day Military Park Hopper at just $99 and you have an affordable Disneyland vacation in the works!

I am excited to stay at the Red Lion and share all of the details with you.  I’ll be doing a live vlog from my room so you’ll get to see exactly what they are like.

Speaking of sharing details about my trip, make sure you check out my trip hashtag #MamaGoesCali on twitter to follow along with every moment.  I’ll be live tweeting, blogging, and vlogging my experience in Anaheim and I hope you’ll follow along.  Make sure we’re buddies on Instagram, too!

Disclosure: I am attending the opening weekend of Cars Land as an everyday park guest at my own expense.  My trip is in no way affiliated with Disneyland or any Disney entity.  Red Lion Hotels is providing a complimentary hotel stay in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are mine, mine, all mine!