An Arizona mother who was vacationing at Disney World while Hurricane Milton wreaked havoc in Florida came forward to describe her experience sheltering in place at the park.
Sandra Guadarrama-Baumunk, 53, was visiting Disney World with her family when the storm made landfall and called her resort “one of the safest places to be in a hurricane,” while applauding how welcoming it was.
Resort guests were told to be in their rooms by 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in preparation for the storm.
The hurricane knocked out power to 3 million Florida homes and businesses Wednesday night and destroyed about 125 homes. At least 13 people have died.
But Sandra said the only “drama” on Wednesday night was when her hotel’s fire alarm went off at 9.30pm due to a minor short circuit. Everyone evacuated their rooms safely and entered the lobby for less than 10 minutes, Sandra wrote in a Business Insider Essay.
Sandra Guadarrama-Baumunk and her two daughters, Sofía and Mia, who accompanied her on a trip to Disney during Hurricane Milton.
Sandra said her experiences at a Disney World hotel during the storm were positive
“I know other parts of Florida suffered serious damage, but it was fine for us,” the mother of two wrote.
‘They were monitoring the situation and giving updates. We never feel uninformed.
‘We are happy to have trusted Disney. Their employees are working hard to keep us safe and ensure we still have a great vacation.”
Sandra arrived at the resort with her husband Brian, 58, daughters Mia and Sofia, 25 and 21, and Mia’s boyfriend, 25, on Saturday and will leave next Saturday.
He did not specify which of the more than 25 Disney hotels they are staying at.
Sandra said she thought “positively” that Hurricane Milton was going to “miss” her trip to Florida.
Disney World closed Wednesday afternoon before the hurricane made landfall and is
The Disney-loving family’s Wednesday night was relatively uneventful after the fire alarm sounded, although they heard strong gale-force winds and rain pounding their windows.
Sandra’s family faced another minor setback when their flight back to Phoenix, Arizona, was rescheduled due to the storm. When they extended their stay at Disney one more night, the hotel offered a 40 percent discount on both of their rooms.
“They would have cost over $1,000 each on a typical Friday night,” Sandra said.
Hotel meal expenses were also reduced. Sandra said her family paid $26 per person for a barbecue dinner instead of $40. Breakfast dishes were $14 instead of $26.
Disney World visitors jog through the theme park during rain related to Hurricane Milton
The iconic theme park closed at 2pm on Wednesday before the storm and did not reopen to the public, Sandra said her hotel kept them entertained.
On Wednesday, the hotel offered family activities in the lobby.
‘There was a nice bar. We went out doing puzzles and playing card games like Uno that we had bought at the gift shop,” Sandra wrote.
Sandra said she saw no rain Thursday, just cloudiness.
Disney World announced Tuesday that the theme park would close due to the hurricane. They issued refunds for any prepaid experience.
But as Florida began to prepare for another devastating hurricane after experiencing Hurricane Helene, tens of thousands of tourists did not change their Disney plans.
Disney World will reopen its doors on Friday, according to its official website.
Visitors walking through Disney World before it closed to prepare for Hurricane Milton
The website says, “We are grateful that Walt Disney World Resort weathered the storm.”
“Our hearts go out to our fellow Floridians who were affected by this storm.”
The storm was downgraded to Category 1 on Thursday as it left the state and headed toward the Atlantic Ocean.
However, officials warned that the danger is not over and that people should stay home as storm surge is expected after the storm.