Couple on Disneyland Florida honeymoon felt hotel shake as Hurricane Milton hit

'You could feel the building rumbling and shuddering. The windows were shaking in the frames and I could hear the wind whistling'

A newlywed couple on their honeymoon at Disneyland in Florida have described the terrifying moment their hotel room began "rumbling and shuddering" as Hurricane Milton struck.

Rebecca Hargrave, 38, and Isaac Hargrave, 25, from Poole in Dorset, were trapped with no access to public transport in Orlando, forcing them to hunker down in their room at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort amid the torrential rain and flooded streets. The couple, who have been confined to their room for over a day, witnessed their windows shaking violently early Thursday morning as the Category 3 Hurricane Milton roared ashore.

From the safety of their sturdy concrete hotel building, Mrs Hargrave said: "The building that we’re in is a really sturdy concrete building, so I can’t imagine what it would be like for other people, but you could feel the building rumbling and shuddering. The windows were shaking in the frames and I could hear the wind whistling."

With no public transport available except for the Disney-provided service, which only travels within the resort and has been suspended, the couple felt isolated. "It just goes around the Disney Resort and they’ve shut all that down, so you can’t walk anywhere. It’s not safe to walk anywhere," she explained.

Earlier on Monday, an alarming nationwide alert about flash flooding reached their phones, prompting a preemptive trip to the supermarket on Tuesday to stock up on essentials like bottled water, bread, sandwich fillings, and snacks. The couple reported being "completely drenched" after their shopping trip. "Our shoes got completely sodden," shared Mrs Hargrave, a carer.

She described the scene: "Everywhere was sandbagged and you could already see where the puddles were going to form, and the roads were really waterlogged."

Mr Hargrave, a chef, added: "It was halfway up your foot and covering your shoe. All of the roofs were pouring off with water." They painted a picture of chaos in Orlando's supermarkets as people scrambled for essentials ahead of the hurricane while they stocked up to stay put in their hotel room. "It was kind of like Covid in the supermarkets," Mrs Hargrave said.

"No toilet paper, no water. We went to Walmart... and it was crazy." The couple had planned their Disney World honeymoon before their June wedding, choosing October in the belief they'd avoid hurricane season. Mrs Hargrave revealed she knew about the impending hurricane a week before their holiday and came prepared with a first aid kit.

"I’ve been quite prepared anyway coming over here because I brought medication," she explained. "I have to take medication every day and I brought medication for a month with me, just in case anything happened. I always try and travel with a first aid kit."

Despite the ordeal, the couple consider themselves "lucky" and are grateful to be safe and sheltered. "We’re completely fine. I feel like we are really lucky. Compared to what other people have been going through it’s not really been much trauma," Mrs Hargraves said. "Whatever happens you can’t do anything it. You’re completely powerless. You can’t leave, you can’t go anywhere. So you’ve just got to be prepared and make the best of it."

The couple touched down in Orlando on October 1 and are scheduled to return to the UK on Friday evening.