Hurricane Milton caused devastation in Florida mere weeks after Hurricane Helene tore her way through the area. Families in Florida have been making difficult decisions about whether to evacuate and keep themselves out of harm’s way. Many feared that they simply did not have the resources to leave.
On the other hand, some were willing to throw caution to the wind and keep plans to travel to the state, even though Hurricane Milton was coming. A mom from Phoenix, Arizona, and her family, which included her husband, two adult daughters, and a daughter’s boyfriend, decided to go ahead with their family trip to Disney World, despite knowing they were in the storm’s path.
More from CafeMom: Mom of 6 Who Can’t Afford To Evacuate Shares Tearful Rant About Preparing for Hurricane Milton
The family went on their trip knowing about the hurricane.
Sandra Guadarrama-Baumunk shared the story of her family’s experience with Business Insider. Guadarrama-Baumunk explained that this is her family’s fourth trip to the theme park. When they saw that Hurricane Helene had passed through before their trip, she remembered thinking, “thank goodness. We missed it by a week.” But then they heard about Hurricane Milton coming. However, she “thought positively” that they would be spared.
They had to adjust their travel plans due to the storm.
The family decided to keep their travel plans, assuming that the resort was the best place to be during a hurricane “because they’d been through it before and knew what to expect.” They arrived on Saturday, four days before Milton was expected to make landfall.
Guadarrama-Baumunk shared that they extended their trip by one day because their Friday flight back to Phoenix was canceled and was rescheduled for Saturday.
Disney World offered discounts for those who stayed.
Guadarrama-Baumunk explained that Disney offered the family a 40% discount to extend their stay. Typically, Disney rooms go for over$1,000 on a Friday night, so that discount was helpful.
Additionally, there were discounts on meals due to the limited options. They had a barbecue-themed dinner that would normally be $40 per person for $26 per person instead. And a $26 breakfast skillet was reduced to $14.
More from CafeMom: Tampa Mayor’s Scary Hurricane Warning: ‘If You Choose to Stay … You Are Going to Die’
While the park was closed, they were still able to enjoy themselves.
Disney World was closed early Wednesday and all day Thursday, due to the severity of Hurricane Milton. But Guadarrama-Baumunk explained that the hotel had set up things to do in its lobby, including crafting and making s’mores. Her family had purchased some games in the gift shop and passed the time playing UNO and doing puzzles.
While her family generally get along, she did admit that being with her family in a “confined space” made her “dig deep for patience sometimes.”
There was minimal 'drama' during the worst of the storm.
Hurricane Milton touched down in Florida on Wednesday as a category 3 hurricane. Guadarrama-Baumunk recalled what it was like as the storm hit, saying she was “already in my pajamas” when fire alarms started going off at 9:30 p.m. All guests were evacuated to the lobby, and she gave credit to the staff for staying “calm and well-organized.”
“The Disney staff said the fire station had already arrived, which was reassuring. After barely 10 minutes, they said it was some kind of short circuit, and we were safe to return to our rooms,” she explained. “It was the only drama we had all night, apart from the wind and rain lashing at our windows. I know other parts of Florida were badly damaged but, for us, it was fine.”
