We went skydiving for the first time at the World's Highest Tandem & Longest FreeFall of 18,000 ft. over at the Marina in Monterey Bay. It was a beautifully, amazing experience!
You should plan to have the day set aside for this however, as it is true that you may have to wait to jump depending on when you get there and finish your paperwork. Also, it is weather permitting - so please don't blame the instructors for not letting you jump; I know it sucks to have to get a raincheck, but in all honesty it's for your own safety afterall. We started off watching a video of someone telling us how we could die, over and over again, and wanting to ensure that we understood that we could back out at anytime as safety is key - don't do anything you don't want to! Then signing a few pages worth of a waiver form as expected. We decided to also add on the picture & video package with our jump.
We had a bit of a wait as we actually did read the waiver (yes, we read these things) and had a few jumpers go before us. While we waited, we got to play pool and watch as the instructors repack the parachutes for the next wave of jumpers. Once it was our turn to go, our instructors were very relaxed and let us know what to do from going on the plane and landing. On the plane ride up, Billy became the talk of the crowd as his instructor, photographer, and the pilot started singing about him "Billy got on a plane. Billy jumped off a plane. Billy's life was changed forever!" 
You're looking out the plane and thinking "Oh, it looks like we're about high enough to jump now" then you see them look at their altimeter and overhear them say we're only at 4,000 FT. Oh boy. Once it's time to jump you don't even have to worry about taking that leap of faith on your own as your instructor pushes you forward with them - unless you're Billy of course, and don't listen to directions well. That first fall is cold and fast and can hurt your ears a tad (depending), then they pull that lever and you're parachuting down so smoothly it's beautiful to see the sights as you drift down. They even let you guide the parachute a bit as well! We survived and loved every moment of it!
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