A little over a week ago, I spent a little bit less than a week in Orlando attending a conference.  I’m not sure how much we’ve talked about it here on the blog, but the Husband and I loved Disney and we’ve been to Orlando twice in the past two years.  First for our honeymoon and then for the Husband’s 30th birthday.  I have no idea why we didn’t think to have the Husband come with me to Orlando but we didn’t until it was too late.  It was okay though as I was in conference sessions all day every day except for Thursday evening (more on that later).

The conference had us staying at the Marriott World Center which was quite nice.  When I arrived, the computer system went down so check-in was delayed, but luckily it came back up within 20 minutes (and I was toward the front of the line).  Some friends had checked in a few days earlier and had amazing views of the huge pool area.  I wasn’t so lucky (lovely view of a parking lot and construction) but since I’d only be in the room to sleep, shower, and dress, it didn’t really matter what it looked like outside.  The bed, now, was another story.  So soft and heavenly! Just what I needed each night after hours and hours of sessions and networking.

I originally planned on photographing all of the food served, but that plan failed halfway through my first meal I did get a photo of my salad and the cake for the table.  Overall, the food was generally excellent all week.  I highly recommend their catering services!

Thursday night the conference schedule an early outing for attendees, if they wanted, to Disney World.  With only a few hours available, my group of friends headed to the Magic Kingdom park to get in as much Disney as possible.  Since we were only there for about 5 hours, we hit the rides with the shortest lines.  I snapped photos of a handful of the ones we rode as well as some favorite sites as Disney.

(This last one is the Haunted Mansion for those of you that don’t recognize it.) We also did It’s a Small World and Pirate’s of the Caribbean before enjoying some ice cream and watching the 9pm parade.  We needed to head back to the bus before it left, but we also enjoyed the fireworks while taking the ferry to the parking lot/transportation center

In general, the only other thing I enjoyed at the hotel was the free wi-fi in the lobby (lots of places to sit!) and Starbucks (new fave drink thanks to this trip).  On my last day, though, as I waited for my shuttle to the airport, I decided to get a late lunch at Solaris, one of the casual restaurants in the hotel.  When I checked out the menu outside the restaurant, I immediately knew what I would get: Short Rib & Provolone Grilled Cheese with sweet potato fries.

The sandwich was huge! It was really two sandwiches (they stacked the halves).  The short rib meat was so tender and the cheese wasn’t overpowering in the grilled cheese.  It was flavorful and the soft sandwich filling went nicely with the crispy outside of the toasted bread.  A great choice While I wasn’t in the restaurant very long, the waitress was very friendly and attentive.  It was a great end to a good week! According to the online reviews, Solaris also has a good buffet.  If you find yourself at the Marriott World Center, I recommend Solaris either for the breakfast buffet or regular lunch.  Based on what I saw (and heard – that the nachos were excellent), you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.