Well, now we got all scientific about it and timed it. It took our family of four, which did not use the Club Mobay arrival service, one hour and 23 minutes to get through immigration. (Keep in mind that was on a very busy travel day, smack in the middle of spring break and the Saturday before Easter -- in November we breezed through more quickly.)

Club Mobay customers were escorted to a special line – but they still had to wait. Not as long as us common folk, but a good 30 to 40 minutes. So you do the math: if cutting wait time in approximately half is worth it, then go for it. If you travel at a non-peak time, we wouldn't recommend spending the money.

Here are a few more tips on arriving at Sangster Airport:

1. As with all international flights, fill out your paperwork on board, and for heaven’s sake, bring a pen! The number of folks who forgot one prompted the flight attendants to announce they had no extras.

2. If your airline (it was not my beloved Southwest!) runs out of forms like ours did (unsmiley face) grab them and get in the immigration line tout suite. Don’t fill them out at those little kiosks as you might as well do that while you wait. Seems obvious but many filled them out and THEN proceeded to the immigration line and seemed surprised and grumbled it had gotten so much longer.

3. We were recently spoiled by our last Caribbean airport experience in Punta Cana with its airy feel and lovely ceiling fans. Not so much in Montego Bay. Prepare for a hot, stuffy wait so peel off layers and bring some water.

4. Sweet relief when your passport is stamped! And no fear, you’re almost there. We flew through customs which was a nice surprise. A note on customs -- you can bring in two bottles of booze if you are inclined to bring some from home. There is also a small duty free liquor stand with limited wine selection but a decent offering of top shelf liquor.

5. If you have business to do, do so on board before landing. Trust me that you don’t want to use the facilities at Sangster, which thanks to one of our kids, we learned the hard way.

6. Several resorts offer a lounge when you arrive and many offer free shuttles. If yours doesn’t, the best deal is with Jamaica Customized Transportation and Tours. We paid $42 for a private transfer for four to Falmouth (about a 30 to 40 minute ride), far cheaper than any other service we contacted. The van was ready and waiting for us, the driver courteous and informative and overall it was a delightful experience.

7. If you have to wait for a transfer, outside of arrivals on site is the Groovy Grouper bar – look to the right when you exit the airport -- where you can down a cold one (which you richly deserve after that brutal immigration line).

We’ll be reporting all week from from Falmouth and Runaway Bay. And while we weren't huge fans of the airport, we absolutely love Jamaica. Have any questions or something you want us to check out? Sound off below!

[Photo: Sangster International Airport]