Getting There
David and I flew US Air from Kansas City to Montego Bay with a plane change in Charlotte. We arrived on time with no delays. The Charlotte airport is recently built with beautiful natural lighting and a very efficient floor plan. Our arriving and departing flights were in different terminals and moving between them was extremely efficient with the moving walkways and smart "X" shape of the airport. There were plenty of dining options to choose from interspersed between the gates. Grabbing a quick bite between flights was made very easy with their complimentary white paper handled bags to carry food onboard with.

Sangster Airport in Montego Bay is typical of airports in developing countries. The facilities are clean and well lit, but not luxurious by any means. We landed on a bumpy tarmac with a beautiful ocean view. After we deplaned and walked up the jetway into the terminal, we were slightly confused on where to go next. The signage is fairly limited. Immigration was our next stop on our way to relaxing on the beach.

As we lined up in the queue to go through immigration, we were greeted by Jamaican singers in traditional dress. The room was large with limited air-conditioning. I highly recommend bringing a pair of shorts and sandals in your carry-on bag to change into if you are coming from cold weather. The wait for us was about 45 minutes and there are bathrooms available to change in. David was sweating by the time we were half way through the line. Not all of the windows had Immigration officials at the desks. Keep your eyes open because at random times they will open a new window and form a new line. If you are watching, you could suddenly become second in line instead of 50th.

Bureau de Change is immediately on the other side of the immigration desks. You can change some money here, but most vendors prefer US dollars. I will explain why using Jamaican may be a slight advantage in another section.

After you are done at immigration, you head downstairs to baggage claim. If you are using the luggage Sandals sent to you, mark it uniquely with a ribbon or blaze orange tape or something. I just about went nuts trying to find one of our bags among the 10 identicals. A porter will immediately try to load your bags onto a cart and help you on your way. You might want to tell him "no thanks" since its only 30 paces from baggage claim to Customs.

Customs was a breeze. Just have your forms filled out and ready. They will make you step aside if its not filled out completely. After customs, you go to the Sandals Lounge, down the hall and to your left. The Couples lounge is right across from it.

At the Sandals lounge, we were immediately greeted and checked in. Our bags were tagged and loaded fairly quickly on a porter's cart. I did not have time to go into the lounge, but it looked very comfy with cold beverages stocked. Always stay with your luggage!! The porter headed outside with our luggage, so we went too. We waited for about 10 minutes to be loaded onto the van. Please tip your porter. He will ask for a tip. I gave him $5 for the 5 bags he loaded for us. The shuttles for Sandals seem to be very regular. You won't be waiting for hours at the airport for someone to take you to the resort.

The drive from the airport to Sandals was very pleasant. I am sure your experience will depend on several factors including your driver, traffic, and how many people are traveling with you. We were fortunate to have only one other couple in the van with us. Our driver was friendly, pointed out some sites and drove pretty fast. He liked to pass cars on the two-lane highway from Montego Bay to Negril. The road was paved and smooth and I was never afraid for my life. We spotted a cricket game and the driver obliged us by stopping so I could get a photo. He asked if we wanted to stop off for a bathroom break and refreshments, but we all were anxious to get checked in, so we did not stop.

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