TikTok Influencer Says She's Stuck on Disney Cruise During Hurricane Milton

TikToker Myriam Estrella shared with her followers that she is currently stuck on a Disney cruise in the Caribbean ahead of Hurricane Milton, a category four hurricane headed for Florida.

By Sabba Rahbar Oct 08, 2024 8:48 PM
| Updated Oct 09, 2024 2:53 AM
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One TikToker might be experiencing the least magical cruise on earth. 

Influencer Myriam Estrella—who is known for her fitness and theme park content—said she is currently stuck on a Disney Cruise Line ship in the Caribbean ahead of Hurricane Milton, a category five hurricane expected to make landfall in Florida Oct. 9. 

"Milton is forming in this area where we're at," Myriam told followers in an Oct. 8 TikTok update. "The captain is not really letting us know what's going on until a couple minutes before something happens."

And she said that extended to the ship's staff as well, explaining that the captain was trying to avoid false information spreading and causing everyone on the ship to go "crazy."

"Basically, the captain is just not really saying much until minutes before it's about to happen," she continued, "which I understand, but also it's scary."

Myriam departed on the Disney Fantasy from Port Canaveral, Fla., on Oct. 5. By the evening of Oct. 8, the ship was nearing Jamaica, hundreds of miles from where the hurricane is expected to hit in Florida, according to Cruise Mapper.

Amid the trip, Myriam—who had noted that this was her first cruise—also shared that her home was in Milton's path.

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"So it's kind of like Milton's hitting us double whammy, which, of course, a man would do that," she joked. "F--k Milton. I'm saying this lightheartedly, but I have been panicking throughout the day."

She was particularly nervous about the hurricane hitting their hometown, as that is where her dogs currently are. Myriam explained in a previous video the pups had to be evacuated from the facility they were staying in, but luckily she had friends and plans in place to make sure they were OK.

As for why Myriam decided to take a cruise during a hurricane, she explained that prior to boarding the ship, she checked with Disney, but said that they weren't expecting Hurricane Milton to be so aggressive.

Facebook/Myriam Estrella

"They said everything's fine. And also the day of, I knew there was gonna be a storm, like, maybe category one hurricane," she added, "which we have gotten before, and it's mostly just windy with some rain. So I was worried, but not panicked. But this is category five, so things are a little different."

As for whether or not she'd take a cruise again? As Myriam noted, definitely not during hurricane season. "I have learned my lesson the hard way."

In her previous video, she explained that it had been an anxiety-filled trip, but was "definitely a cruise for the books" and she hoped that "in about, like, 55 years, we'll be able to look back at this and laugh."

Disney has said it will "continue to closely monitor" the path of Hurricane Milton to consider guest safety at its theme parks, resorts and other experiences. 

"The Walt Disney World Emergency Operations Center is connected to weather experts and community leaders," reads a statement on their website. "Please know these adjustments have been made in order to leave plenty of time for our Guests and Cast Members to return to their Resort hotels or homes safely hours before higher winds are expected to reach Central Florida."

This story was updated on Oct. 8, 2024, at 6:20 p.m. PT with Disney's statement and Cruise Mapper data.

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