I have a family vacation planned to Cancun, Mexico from December 17th through December 23rd. Has anyone returned in the past week or so that can tell me what condition the Cancun is in right now. I want to be able to go sightseeing, shopping etc., but I don't know whether I should go to Cancun now or cancel. I can't seem to find any information.

I would wait to go to Cancun at a later date. You could go south of Cancun where things are a bit better. Also, check you flights. A lot of flights to Cancun are being cancelled and people are not being notified!

I think it'll be too early, but go on over to the forums at tripadvisor.com for lots of info & opinions.

My husband's company had a business trip planned to Cancun the first week of Feb. After badgering the hotel (the Westin) for a realistic opening date, they admitted that even though their web site says Dec. 20, they are expecting to open mid-Jan.

The company rescheduled the trip to April, and I think that was a wise move.

See if you can get a hotel in Playa Del Carmen or south of PDC. They didn't suffer nearly as bad as Cancun and many hotels are currently operating fully.

I was supposed to attend a business meeting in late-February, but the hotel said it wouldn't be prepared until June.

mike, may I ask which hotel? thanks!

Fiesta Americana Grand Aqua

thanks Mike, I've seen post hurricane picks of the Fiesta Aqua -- ouch, it got hammered. It was a very handsome building, and it will be again...

There are good updates on the Royal Resorts website (www.royalresorts.com); we have a cousin with a timeshare there and so have been checking to see the clean-up progress.

Just got back from Cancun on Saturday. If you're staying a any one of the Royal Resorts, you're going to have a wonderful time. They are in excellent condition. Beaches aren't the greatest right now, except for the VCI beach. Downtown is still in the construction/repair phase. La Isla shopping center is not opened as yet. The people there are all so kind and really appreciated all visitors. We would go back in a hearbeat.