HobNobbing with Nobby (A Gnome's 1st Trip to the World) FINAL Upt: 9/23 (P.48)

[jenjolt]

Originally Posted by JPFamilyMom

GREAT update, wow what a magical time you had with Goofy. Lucky you, you were definitely sprinkled with some Can't wait to see if Nobby gets into trouble and keeps breaking the rules, hehe

I'm not quite sure even the word magical covers it all, but it will have to do!! I love looking at that pic and telling my Goofy story!!!

Nobby is trouble with a Capital T that is all I'm going to say about that LOL!!!

[jenjolt]

Chapter 5: Princesses, Princesses, and yes Even more Princesses

Wow, I had so much fun writing the last chapter why not continue and write one more update before I go to bed!! So what am I doing right now, well I’m listening to the Boo to You Parade during MNSSHP! That is my new thing to be fascinated with because I will be at that parade, I will be dressed up, and I will enjoy Hallowishes. Because as many of you know I’m a huge Haunted Mansion fan (and they are all over MNSSHP) and even more so do I love me some villains especially Maleficent (who actually shows up in the Haunted Mansion…do you know where??? LOL) Besides, as you know one of my Disney dreams was to ride Haunted Mansion at midnight (and if I can keep your interest for long enough you’ll find out if I actually made that dream a reality) well along those same lines I want to ride Haunted Mansion during MNSSHP (since it will be as close to Halloween as I can get LOL). So right now I’m really enjoying watching YouTube clips about MNSSHP…well I’ve let that hijack enough of this update let’s get back to what you really want to read about LOL!

So Nobby made his wishes known and wanted to go ride Test Track and who was I to tell the gnome no! So off we went, and let me tell you I’m totally sold on the single rider line. Nobby and I walked in…see a picture of Nobby in line (while he broke many other rules, he at least was not a line jumper LOL).



Here are a few other photos of the Test Track Queue, I have to tell you watching them beat up on the dummies like they do always makes me a bit uneasy. I tend to be more on the empathic side and have an aversion to thinks that go “crack” so watching them get their knees pummeled with a hammer makes me wince. Either way more photos for your enjoyment…





During our very brief wait in the single rider line I attempted to text my friend Julez (julezdisney), because she was going to ride along with me, however we missed each other, but don’t worry she and I would enjoy the Animal Kingdom together later in the week. (Okay I guess I should explain, to help pass time in line as Nobby and I waited we would often text message one of our lovely Marcettes who would then keep us company and share in the magic that is Disney.) By this time it was time for Nobby and I to ride Test Track and we loved it…oh yes we did. Of course I was freezing, are you kidding me, 65mph at about 50 degrees, yeah definitely a bit cold. Nobby of course loved it and had no trouble whatsoever with the cold wind. As we exited the ride Nobby insisted he wanted a picture next to one of the machines, what is with guys and machines that destroy things. I can’t even tell you what the purpose of this machine is (of course I could read the sign behind Nobby but why would I do that LOL), although if Nobby had wandered any further back he might have found out first hand. However, here is Nobby and his “manly” picture with a large moving machine (Guys…pppffftttt).



Well at this time it was about 3:30ish and Nobby and I decided we had time for one more ride before we headed to Norway. Since we were at Test Track we headed towards Mission Space.



Now I enjoy this ride because who doesn’t like looking at Gary Sinse (oh wait…nevermind I’m going to stop right there LOL), I mean who doesn’t like becoming an astronaut. Nobby and I argued for awhile over the green or the orange side. Nobby is quite the daredevil and he was all about the G’s however it was almost dinner time and I’m getting old so I told Nobby next time we would go “orange” and he had to settle and go on the “green” side with me. The ride as usual was fantastic and Nobby played the role of “Engineer” perfectly. I had the best sleep of my entire trip during that ride and our landing was not particularly splendid but Nobby made sure the wings were out when they were supposed to…YAY for Nobby! Of course Nobby and I had to send email postcards to Prince Phillip!



After some careful deliberation Nobby decided I should be abducted by aliens, so we made the video and we sent it along. Prince Phillip would let us know the next day that we were obviously having way too much fun on our trip LOL!!

Well as much as Nobby would have enjoyed playing more of the games in the Mission Space area, I knew we had to make it over to our ADR, so it was time to go. Nobby and I really enjoyed our walk over to the World Showcase. It was a great time to just enjoy the view across the lagoon.



Nobby also wanted his picture taken by the lagoon and once again I can’t say no to his cute little face, although I would have preferred taking his picture on the ground where it was safe. However, because I insisted on the “green” side of Mission Space Nobby was not all about being “safe.” Instead he climbed up on the railing (see what I mean about breaking rules, I’m pretty sure this is not allowed) to pose for me.



I soon realized that if Nobby had his way he would have me stop every few feet to take his picture and well we just didn’t have time for that so I convinced Nobby it would be best if he took a short nap before meeting the princesses (we didn’t want Grumpy instead of Nobby showing up for dinner). So I placed Nobby back into his carrying vehicle and headed for Norway, little did I know it would be who would be making the next stop. You see on this trip I had already decided if time allowed if I saw a character I would get in line and take a picture. Why? Because every other trip I went on NO ONE in my party was interested in meeting characters and by golly on my magical solo trip I was going to meet characters. Well you want to guess who was out in Mexico??



(Look TK, my perfect Hoodie LOL, this will start a trend of outdoor pictures where I never took off the hoodie LOL).

Yup I got to meet Fiesta Donald!! He was quite the charmer also; I can’t even begin to tell you how many kisses I got on this trip, Prince Phillip would have been jealous!

Okay now it was seriously time to stop dawdling and make my way over to Norway and my dinner reservation. I had made this reservation for the earliest possible time of 4:25pm; you see this would be my first meal of the day. I know, I know, I had been up since 2am and I haven’t eaten yet…well nothing of substance, I think at 4am I had a cereal bar. I knew that traveling I wasn’t going to stop and eat and while I was tempted to eat at TREX (and Soleil almost had me talked into going LOL) but I really wanted to get to EPCOT and ride some rides. That being said I made a very early dinner reservation for me and Nobby that evening. Apparently gnomes don’t have to eat a lot because Nobby didn’t complain once about being hungry LOL!

Our Princess Dinner: CONTINUED IN THE NEXT POST

[jenjolt]

Chapter 5 Con't:

Nobby and I arrived for dinner at 4:15pm, 10 minutes before our 4:25pm reservation at Akershus, the Royal Banquet Hall.



We checked in and were told we would need to wait a few minutes, turned out to be about 10 minutes and then we were royally invited to enter the banquet hall. Our first stop was to meet our hostess, Princess Belle. I love Beauty and the Beast so I was especially excited to meet Belle. She was very gracious and welcoming.



After the pictures, Nobby and I were seated at a cozy table for two.



I would find out that we were in a prime location, our table was the fourth stop for the princesses and near the buffet. Our waitress for the evening was Nina and she was amazing and very attentive. She sat down and talked with me and Nobby for a few minutes and explained how the buffet worked and gladly offered to help me take pictures. At this time, Nina’s brother, came out and said hi! He worked in the kitchen. I made sure to ask them what they recommended on the menu for someone who did not like seafood. Her brother suggested the pasta dish, so that is what I choose for the evening, Grilled Vegetable-stuffed Pasta with mushrooms and carmelized onion cream. Nina then suggested that I head up to the buffet and get a few things from there before the princesses would arrive and they would get my dinner ordered placed for me.

I really enjoyed the cold buffet, I got a plate for me and Nobby to share.



We had the Apple and Beet Salad, Salad with Disney Vinagrette, a chicken salad, and a little bit of pasta salad. It was all fantastic!! Nobby and I didn’t have to wait too long for our main course to arrive.



Once again a superb choice by our host and hostess! The pasta had a great filling inside and the sauce was amazing, not too much onion flavor, just amazingly good.

It was during this time that I asked what Princesses would be stopping by to say hi this evening. I told Nina that Nobby had a very favorite princess he wanted to meet. She then asked Nobby which princess was his favorite, and of course Nobby choose to be shy at this time so I had to tell Nina that Nobby really wanted to meet Snow White. Well, Nina informed us that Snow White was not going to be joining us this evening, however we might be able to find her in Germany later on. Nobby was extremely bummed by this news, but I promised right after dinner we would head to Germany and try to find her, he seemed to perk up a bit after that.

Then the princesses arrived…first was Princess Aurora, my favorite princess.



So why is Aurora my favorite, well because she has a Prince Phillip just like me! We have so much in common!!Now I’m not much of a crier, unless something terrible has happened or I’m extremely moved. However in that moment meeting my favorite princess and being able to tell her about my Prince Phillip really moved me and at that moment I really missed my Prince. Aurora completely understood and gave me a hug and said she missed her Prince Phillip too and wanted me to make sure I told my Prince Phillip she said hello when I talked to him next. That was a really sweet and special moment for me.

Next was Jasmine, and I must say she is completely gorgeous!



There was a family next to me with two little ones and their little girl was dressed like Jasmine and I loved watching them interact. It made me wish for the day I bring my child to Disney and they meet their favorite character of all time. To me that is what Disney is all about those special moments when your eyes or your children’s eyes light up and the magic is so real you can just reach out and touch it. That was what watching that moment with that little girl and Jasmine was like.

Ariel, in her beautiful blue dress stopped by next.



Ariel insisted that we pose as the real princesses that we are! She was a lot of fun to meet and talk to.

Last but definitely not least, Cinderella made her grand appearance



I enjoyed seeing Cinderella, although I got the impression that it was a bit awkward for her meeting a solo adult. However, at this point I was in the midst of a Disney High and dessert was waiting for me so I didn’t mind. We said hello and she went on her way to meet her other guests.
Speaking of dessert, holy moly, how in the world was I suppose to eat all of that on my own (Nobby was really full and wanted no part of dessert).



I got a sample, a pretty big sample of three different desserts. On your left is a rice cream with a strawberry sauce, in the middle was a Flourless Chocolate cake, and to the right was the famous school bread. So which one was my favorite? The school bread was really good, but the dessert I loved was the rice cream…it was smooth and creamy and all around just amazingly delicious. I ate all of the rice cream, most of the school bread, and only had about a bite of the chocolate cake.

Overall Nobby and I had a great dinner and would return again another time. We think my mom would really like this restaurant. Nobby and I both decided we had eaten way too much and that we needed to walk off some of the calories we had just ingested. Nobby insisted that we head straight to Germany so we could find his favorite princess and who was I to argue with him. I just got to meet my favorite princess and I had a very magical moment with Goofy, it was definitely Nobby’s turn.

So does Nobby ever get to meet his favorite princess? Well…its bedtime …so I guess you’ll have to find out next time. Sweet dreams everyone.

[2xcited2sleep]

OMG! Two updates!! Yippee!!! I only had time for Chapter 4 this morning but you can be sure I'll be back this evening for Chapter 5!

I love the Golden Dream song too... I get goosebumpy and teary too!

I am jealous of you munching on fudge. I am going to have to remember to bring some treats home on the next trip!

I LOVE your "Goofy story." That is just pure magic. And I love that you have the photo on your desk to remind you of magic.

Sounds like the parks were not crowded at all!!

I've seen mickey pumpkins but not tomatoes! I'm not a science teacher but I like that ride too! Although I miss the live boat captains vs. the recorded narration now.

Oy! Today is going to go by so slowly as I wait to get home and read your Chapter 5! You have a great writing style... I'm really enjoying your tale!

[jenjolt]

Originally Posted by 2xcited2sleep

OMG! Two updates!! Yippee!!! I only had time for Chapter 4 this morning but you can be sure I'll be back this evening for Chapter 5!

I love the Golden Dream song too... I get goosebumpy and teary too!

I am jealous of you munching on fudge. I am going to have to remember to bring some treats home on the next trip!

I LOVE your "Goofy story." That is just pure magic. And I love that you have the photo on your desk to remind you of magic.

Sounds like the parks were not crowded at all!!

I've seen mickey pumpkins but not tomatoes! I'm not a science teacher but I like that ride too! Although I miss the live boat captains vs. the recorded narration now.

Oy! Today is going to go by so slowly as I wait to get home and read your Chapter 5! You have a great writing style... I'm really enjoying your tale!

I know I was on a roll last night and yet I'm still not done with day 1...I can see this is going to take me awhile LOL!!!

I think I listened to almost all of the "oldies" but "goodies" last night on YouTube and I loved the American Adventure and I really enjoyed the Carousel of Progress again...I really love that song too!

I only have one more piece of fudge left its going to have to last me a few more days LOL!!! I'm also going to be bringing that and pretzel rods back with me..those were so good and I forgot to take a picture of them. DELICIOUS!!! I'm so bringing home like 10 of those with me LOL!!!

Thanks for the encouragement and compliment Christine!! I'm so glad you are enjoying reading my story!

[VroomVroomLightning]

I am loving your TR so far! Nobby is soo cute and seems to be such a good companion! Such a gentlemen he is. I love TR's that are detailed like yours, makes me feel like I am at Disney with you! I can't wait to hear more about your adventures with Nobby!

[jenjolt]

Originally Posted by VroomVroomLightning

I am loving your TR so far! Nobby is soo cute and seems to be such a good companion! Such a gentlemen he is. I love TR's that are detailed like yours, makes me feel like I am at Disney with you! I can't wait to hear more about your adventures with Nobby!

Awww thank you!!! Sometimes I feel like I'm talking too much and then I say NAH writing this is as much for me and it is for you guys so I just keep typing and typing and realize that I'm going to be only at the end of day one by Chapter 6 LOL and that was only a half day at the Parks LOL!!!!!

Nobby is very wonderful! We had to say our goodbyes because he's on his way to LL, but I will see him again in October LOL!! I figure he'll be my date to MNSSHP LOL!!

[JPFamilyMom]

guess I should've stayed on later last night and I could've read two updates at once....but it was nice having something to read when I woke up today.

Great update, you had such a fabulous first day so far... what great character interactions you've had.

can't wait to read more...

[jenjolt]

Originally Posted by JPFamilyMom

guess I should've stayed on later last night and I could've read two updates at once....but it was nice having something to read when I woke up today.

Great update, you had such a fabulous first day so far... what great character interactions you've had.

can't wait to read more...

Awwww thank you!! Yes, day 1 was a great way to start any Disney vacation!!! I hope to get more up later today or early tomorrow!! That's why I stayed up to give you guys 2 updates!

[TarzansKat]

I can't speak highly enough of the Visa Meet and Greet. Aren't they wonderful there? What a great way to start your trip! And Epcot being not so busy, that's just fantastic! Looks like you're off to a good start.

Edit: Dude, there were more updates! :lmao I'm glad you had such a great time at the princess dinner, and I have to say, the food looks really good! When I read the menu it doesn't seem that enticing, but wow, it looks yummy. And the pics of Nobby are so cute! He's a little devil, isn't he?

[julezdisney]

Great updates! I love how you write like Nobby's a small child, Jen! It's just hilarious to read....

[pamouselover]

DH bought me the same sweat jacket!

[Lady Lallie]

I am loving the pictures of Nobby and I am super excited he is on his way to visit me.

I was going to give up Akershush but it seems like you had a good solo meal there. Hmmm.

I can't wait to see what other mischief Nobby gets into.

[Jennifer48]

What a fabulous first day!

I loved your Visa meet story. Goofy is such a trip!

I love how Nobby seems to get himself into trouble. LL is going to have her hands full!

[Charleston Princess]

Now I want to go eat at Akershush...I may have to completely redo my ADRs! We went for breakfast in 2004 and it was super yummy then! Not to mention it has been a long time since we hung out with the princesses!