Hey all, thanks so much for taking the time to respond. I was not expecting so many responses, especially given that I am new here! So thanks again for everyone who took the time.
Since there's some debate about AOW -
My goal of doing AOW is not to simply get the c-card or to move to an "advanced" level, but to get exposure to different types of diving in a supervised environment as a few folks have pointed out. I also wanted to learn to control my buoyancy a bit more so PPB will be one of my elective dives along with night and I'm thinking of drift/wreck as my third. All skills I want to learn and would not be able to do in my home environment easily. I live in a landlocked place with very very poor visibility (1-2 ft) and a terrible access to the water (need to climb down 3 flights of stairs with all gear strapped in to get to the lake level because it dries out; and I am a small person so its super difficult to do that with heavy gear and I am afraid I will hurt my back) When we went 60ft on my OW checkout dive, it was literal night, pitch black, and muddy in the lake for some context. So all these factors have kept me from diving locally after my OW. The only way I can dive / do certifications is on vacation. Since I am going to be diving anyway, might as well get some additional learning out of it. That's the reasoning.
The reason for doing the MUSA dive was to just get re-acquainted with diving but looks like a lot of folks are advising against that and going straight to Coz instead and doing a refresher/fun dive prior to the AOW class. Generally I think I agree and I'm slowly coming to terms with it. Figuring out the logistics between Cancun and Cozumel is getting complicated with only so much time I can spare to do everything on my own.
I asked around a few shops already and looks like they wont be starting courses on the 24th/25th Dec because of the holiday. Since I will be reaching Cancun on the 22nd, it leaves me with 2-3 days to fill before I can get any diving started in Cozumel.
I do not have my own gear, reading some of the posts on scubaboard / r/scuba I have been feeling a little anxious about which op to go with from a safety perspective. I was gonna go with 3P but I was reading their reviews and in one of the replies the shop said this below, which makes me kinda nervous, especially as a novice diver (which I am) as they are saying if you want 100% safe gear use your own... which I kind of get, but I am not at that point yet.
"As for our equipment, yes it is rental and is used. Some times tanks and inflator hoses leak due to worn O rings. However aside from the worn Velcro on the pockets, the rental equipment is serviced and safe to use."...."Perhaps now that you have gained more experience you will purchase your own dive gear so you won’t have to use rental gear."
Thanks so much for that spreadsheet, super useful info!
Others have suggested some good ops. Another possibility could be Dressel Divers at the Iberostar - although, according to another SB member their prices have gone up (they used to be pretty cheap) their AOW course is "free." You still may get a deal by booking ahead online.
Adding link to my spreadsheet of dive ops that might help you make some decisions.
Alsooooo as I am in the area for 10 days I wanted to do both diving and some land based exploration
Given that I don't get to take a ton of time off in the year, unfortunately have to squeeze everything I can out of a trip.