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

Myriam Estrella is opening up about getting caught in the middle of a hurricane during her Disney Cruise.

Since boarding the ship on Sunday, Oct. 6, the TikTok creator has shared frequent updates on her account, including how her dogs are doing back home in Florida. She explains that Hurricane Milton is expected to directly hit her hometown.

“So we’re stuck on a cruise in a hurricane, and basically Milton is forming in this area where we’re at,” she says in her most recent video, which has garnered more than 1.2 million views. “The captain isn’t really letting us know what’s going on until a couple of minutes before something happens. We asked the cast members too, ‘Do you know anything?’ and they said no.”

“I have been panicking throughout the day,” she continues. “I just don’t want to come on here and be in a panic because that’s not going to help me, that’s not going to help you, that’s not going to help anyone. So I just gotta breathe this out.”

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

Estrella goes on to say that while some people have questioned why she got on the cruise in the first place, she had checked Disney’s weather updates page before leaving, which never mentioned any issues with the cruise. Additionally, she called multiple times, including the day of the cruise, and was told that everything was fine.

“The day of, I knew there was going to be a storm, maybe a Category 1 hurricane, which we have dealt with before — it’s mostly just windy with some rain,” she continues. “So I was worried but not panicked. But this is a Category 5, so things are a little different.”

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

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In another video, Estrella shares that she is a mother of five dogs, who are being watched back home. On the day she left for the cruise, she asked the facility what their plans were if the storm got bad.

Staff told her it shouldn’t be a problem, assuring her that they have backup generators and that the building is very sturdy. However, on Oct. 7, she received an email from the facility informing her that they are evacuating, which means all the dogs need to be picked up.

“Thank goodness we had two plans in place,” she says.

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

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

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

“Keep us updated bestie! What a nightmare 😳,” one comment says.

“Praying for you guys on the ship and your home your pets,” another reads.

Someone else writes, “My sister was stuck on a cruise last time and they went out 250 miles away to keep them safe. You may have big swells but you should be good. Praying for your family.”

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

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