How did you discover this activity?

Our condo rental uses a company called Xplorie to offer discounted excursions and activities. We all wanted to parasail, and although Gilligan’s was on the list through Xplorie (1 free adult), I still thoroughly checked them out including reviews. They looked fun and safe so I booked it.

When did you book your tour compared to the departure date?

We booked our parasail trip 2 days prior to the event.

Why did you choose this activity?

My daughter and I went parasailing for the first time last year and absolutely loved it. This year, everyone in our party wanted to parasail, so we were very intentional in getting this activity in while we were down in Destin.

How did you get to the activity location?

Getting to Gilligan’s was a very short drive from our condo. The signage was good and Google maps were great at getting us exactly where we needed to be, on time.

What was your experience with the activity’s staff?

Everyone from the ladies at the check-in booth to Captain Tim and his first mate Amber we’re exceptional. Everyone was very knowledgeable, and funny, and made the entire experience amazing for all on board!

Highlights or memories you and your group will take from the trip?

We are a family of 4, and our kids both took a friend on this beach trip. We flew 3 girls and 3 guys. The girls went first, 2 of us having flown before, and the friend is a first-timer. We all three loved it! We asked Captain Tim to dip us in the water as the flight was concluding, and this dip was so much better than the dip on our first parasail flight! He dipped us about waist deep a couple of times and it felt amazing!! The guys went next, all three of them first-timers. My son who is afraid of heights did NOT want to go, but his friend talked him into it. They flew with my husband. My son looked as terrified as the other two looked thrilled lol. Their flight was great, and they had also asked Captain Tim to dip them. This is the memorable part... So the friend, for whatever reason, was leaning over, I guess trying to look into the water when they got dipped. The water kind of catapulted him even further forward, and he literally was completely underwater for a moment! It was absolutely hilarious!! The water kind of messed up the seating in his harness, and he was sitting kind of awkwardly, but he was completely safe the entire time. It is going to be a story that we all tell for years to come, and probably will end up on Gilligan’s website as part of what not to do when you fly. My son who was afraid was not a fan of the experience, but we all had a blast on the trip. We will definitely choose Gilligan’s for our watersports in the future!!

Would you recommend this activity to another group like yours? Why or why not?

I will recommend this activity all day long! The only thing I would have changed would be to have gone out from the beach (where the gorgeous water is), rather than to the harbor, just because the water is darker and we didn’t get to see any marine life. This was the case on our first trip last year, but it was also overcast when we flew this week, so that also played a part. The trip was still so fun and exhilarating, that I will recommend it to anyone!! It is a great family, friend, or couples activity, and we actually had all of these categories on the boat when we went. Everyone had so much fun!! Captain Tim is great, but Amber is the one that did all the work, and she is incredible!! They also offered photo packages in the form of an SD card for a cost. We purchased them but honestly haven’t looked at them yet. We were also allowed to take personal photos, which is what I’ll upload here.