Florida Woman Explains Why She Went on Cruise Despite Impending Hurricane, How She's 'Panicking' About Her Dogs Back Home

Myriam Estrella opens up about being caught in the middle of a hurricane during her Disney Cruise.

Since boarding the ship on Sunday, October 6, the TikTok creator has been frequently sharing updates on her account, including how her dogs are doing at home in Florida. She explains that Hurricane Milton is expected to make a direct hit on her hometown.

“So we’re stuck cruising in a hurricane, and actually Milton is forming in this area where we’re at,” she says in her latest video, which has garnered more than 1.2 million views. “The captain doesn’t really tell us what’s going on until a few minutes before something happens. We also asked the crew members, ‘Do you know anything?’ and they said no.”

“I panicked all day,” she continues. “I just don’t want to come here and panic because it’s not going to help me, it’s not going to help you, it’s not going to help anybody. So I’ve just got to breathe this out.”

She adds, “But yeah, Milton’s going right through where we live, right where our dogs are…our friends. So we’ve been checking to make sure everybody’s OK and everybody’s prepared. Some people are evacuating. I” Really, I’m very worried about our dogs, but there is a plan for them, I’m worried about our friends, but they’re ready to go.”

Getty image of a Disney cruise.

Jodi Jacobson/Getty

Disney World is closing some resort areas, but the parks remain open due to a threatened direct hit from Hurricane Milton

Estrella goes on to say that although some people have questioned why she went on the cruise in the first place, she checked Disney’s weather update page before leaving, which never mentions problems with the cruise. Other than that, she called multiple times, including on the day of the cruise, and was told everything was fine.

“On the day I knew there was going to be a storm, maybe a Category 1 hurricane, which we’ve already dealt with — it’s mostly just windy with a little rain,” she continues. “I was worried, but I didn’t panic. But this is Category 5, so things are a little different.”

“This is my first cruise. I don’t think I will book another cruise during hurricane season,” he adds. “I learned my lesson the hard way.”

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Getty image of a Disney cruise.

Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty

In another video, Estrella says that she is the mother of five dogs that are kept at home. On the day she left for the cruise, she asked the establishment what their plans were if the storm intensified.

The staff told her that shouldn’t be a problem, assuring her that they had backup generators and that the building was very sturdy. However, on October 7, she received an email from the facility informing her that they were evacuating, meaning all the dogs needed to be picked up.

“Thank God we had two plans,” she says.

“Plan A is working. I think the dogs will be picked up either tonight or tomorrow by someone we really, really, really trust,” she adds. “But if not, plan B was to have one friend get one dog and another friend get another dog.” She continues: “But I totally understand — businesses have to close and evacuate and take safety precautions. I’m so glad we can evacuate the puppies, but my question is: What happens to the puppies that can’t be evacuated?”

“This is definitely a book cruise and I think in about 55 years we’ll be able to look back on this and laugh,” she concludes.

Getty image of a Disney cruise.

Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty

Disney World prepares for Hurricane Milton: Resort not accepting new hotel reservations, ‘monitoring’ the storm

Since she shared the situation on TikTok, thousands of people have commented on her videos sending her good vibes.

“Keep us posted dear! What a nightmare 😳,” says one comment.

“I pray for you on board and for your home, your pets,” reads another.

Someone else writes: “My sister got stuck on a cruise last time and they went 250 miles away to be safe. You may have a lot of swelling but you should be fine. Pray for your family.”

According to Disney’s website, they are closely monitoring the path of Hurricane Milton and the safety of guests and crew members will be a priority. Due to the forecasted conditions, they also made the decision to cancel the Disney Wish sailing on October 11. In a rare move, Disney parks will close on Wednesday, October 9 at 1pm local time.

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Source: HIS Education