Jennifer Amundson was supposed to be on a dream trip right now – a cruise from Miami to Mexico.
The ship has sailed but she says there was no way she and her son were going with it.
With Irma bearing down, Jennifer Amundson says all she can think of is keeping her 18-month old son Austin safe.
"I’m not willing to risk my life or my son’s life for $1,200 for a cruise," Amundson said.
The five-day trip on the Carnival Sensation was supposed to leave Miami Thursday for the Keys then head to Mexico.
With Irma getting stronger, Amundson says Carnival cancelled the Keys stop, and added an extra day in Cozumel. But Jennifer wasn’t convinced it was safe.
“I’m not trying to race a hurricane,” she said.
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Plus the ship was still scheduled to dock in Miami on Monday.
A spokeswoman for Carnival said they now plan to dock on Wednesday--while adding an extra port of call, Montego Bay. The spokeswoman also said the cruise line would issue credits to guests who could not make the sailing.
"I understand it’s not their fault, it’s Mother Nature’s fault, but at the same time I don’t understand why they are risking this,” she said.
Jennifer decided to skip the cruise, even before learning she will get future cruise credits.
They drove to Disney instead trying to make the best of the bad situation.
"This is not a storm to mess with," Amundson said. "Even in Orlando there are gas stations that are out of gas.”
And that’s Jennifer's issue Friday night.
American Airlines agreed to move up their return trip to Chicago--flying them out of Gainesville Saturday.
Amundson says she's looking for gas to make sure they have enough for the drive from Orlando to the airport.
