IT SUCKED!!! I can't tell you how rude they were. It was pouring rain, so how can we enjoy a day of shopping and lying out on the beach? WE CAN'T! We asked for a refund. THEY DON'T GIVE REFUNDS! That's a load of crap. We planned it for another day. It rained then, too, but we were already on the island. The only thing that is worth it is the other activities ON THE BEACH. Plus, Isla Mujeres was dirty and grimy. I hated it there. Oh! And the continental breakfast is fruit (with flies swarming). And the buffet? That was okay, but I suggest that you get the food as soon as they open the lids, because bugs are everywhere. Oh! And they overcharged my credit card, which I can't deal with right now because I'm mad! I HATE AQUAWORLD!!

If you can spare an entire day, Cozumel will blow you away under the ocean! There is a reason why it's one of the top-ten places to snorkel/scuba in the world. The trip lasts from around 8am to about 7pm, but it's worth every penny and every minute. You have to take a 2-hour bus ride and a 45-minute ferry to the island, but you get almost 2 hours of ocean in two different spots, and then they let you go shopping before heading home. This is NOT TO BE MISSED if you can make it.

This was great fun, although the reef isn't the best in the world. You take a two-person, medium-speed jet ski across the lagoon, about 20 to 25 minutes, to a small reef you can swim over and snorkel around for about 30 to 40 minutes. The reef is okay, but not very colorful, although we saw about 20 to 30 different kinds of fish. After that, you take the jet ski back to the launch. All in all, it takes about an hour and a half. CAUTION: Use lots of sunscreen before and after you swim! The sun can be quite intense down there!

There are many spots to do this, but we were visiting a contact of ours at the Casa Maya Hotel and saw them soliciting for parasailing rides.

It cost us about $80 for the two of us, and the good thing is that we were able to do a tandem together. I was more nervous than my wife at first, but once we got it, it was calm and smooth sailing initially and felt weird being suspended hundreds of feet with bungee cords!

But you can't imagine the view you have from there--truly a birds-eye view of the ocean, buildings, and island.

I wish we had taken a camera with us, though, so I recommend you take one!

Our traveling companion said that the one thing she absolutely had to do in Cancun was go parasailing—this from a woman approaching 70 years of age who had not left her home province of Quebec since she landed there from England as a child. We had both done some research prior to our trip, and I was somewhat concerned that safety standards were not as stringent in Mexico as one would expect in Canada or the United States. We decided to book our experience with Aquaworld, which has you seated in a double chair—quite different than the excursion offered along the beach, where you go up alone wearing a harness.

Our host, José, took care of all the particulars, and we were soon boarding a 25-foot boat. My friend and I were the only two who signed up for parasailing at the time, and I was surprised we did not have to wait for others to join us. We inquired about safety precautions and were told not to worry—we would be quite safe. Indeed, once we were seated, we felt quite secure.

We were shown some basic hand signals to communicate with, and once we gave the okay, we were high up in the sky. What an amazing experience—we could see for miles and miles: the entire lagoon and the long spit of land that is home to the Hotel Zone of Cancun, with all its magnificent hotels and beaches; the city of Cancun; and the lush green carpet of the surrounding jungle—all was beneath us. We could have stayed up there for hours trying to identify all the landmarks, but after about 20 or 30 minutes, we were slowly hauled back in until we rested right back on the stern of the boat. We got out of the seat and the two fellows quickly brought the parachute back in without it even touching water.

On our way back to the Aquaworld Marina, we chatted as best we could with the three Mexicans, and I asked if I could drive the boat. The driver said, "Sure," and there I was driving the boat right back to where we started, even guiding it through the relatively narrower channel of the marina’s harbour area. The captain was even going to let me back the boat into its docking spot, but I was afraid I would be purchasing a boat and pier if I missed, so I handed the wheel back to him.

I imagine that at other times of the year it must be busier and that one would spend much more time waiting for others to have their turn in the sky. As we debarked, we were encouraged to put some money in the tip jar, which we gladly did, as we truly felt these fellows did a great job at giving us a once-in-a-lifetime experience.