Skip the 2-Hour Lines: A Parent’s Guide to Montego Bay’s Best Kept Secret

Upon arrival at Montego Bay International Airport you are escorted quickly through immigration and to an arrivals lounge.

We have been to Jamaica 6 times. We are big fans of the people and the beautiful beaches. 

But if it wasn’t for one service at the airport, I probably wouldn’t go back.

Before the twins, we honeymooned in Jamaica and went back two years later. We arrived each time on a weekend -- and each time the line for immigration was massive. At least 90 minutes. One time more than 2 hours. Island time is very real. And when you have multiple planes landing around the same time from all parts of the world, it makes managing that crowd challenging for the immigration staff.

It was an awful way to start our vacation. Impatience is not fun when you are ready to get in the sun. After that 2012 trip, we swore off Jamaica as a destination we were willing to visit in the Caribbean. Starting off your vacation with a long wait was the last thing we wanted to do.

Until a friend told us about Club MoBay. 

Club MoBay is an arrival and departure service at Montego Bay’s airport (MJB). They also offer it in Kingston, but that airport has fewer international flights. For $50 a person (kids are free or discounted depending on their age), a representative from Club MoBay will meet you on the jet bridge with a sign with your name on it.

They will then walk you to special immigration desks at the airport. They will wait with you to grab your bags from baggage claim and then bring you through customs. Finally, they drop you at their arrivals lounge in the airport near ground transportation for drinks and food. It is a smaller arrival lounge, but the service is great and a good place to wait for your ride. 

Usually we are off the plane and in the arrival lounge in 5-10 minutes. 

We have since used the service when the twins were not even one year old. Kids under 2 are free and ages 2-12 are discounted. The staff could not have been more kind to the children. Having fruit for them in the lounge to eat and playing with them as we got settled and waited for our car to the resort. Once, the staff even provided us with rum punch to take on our ride to our hotel!

Now, sometimes we have arrived and there is not that long of a wait. 

Are we disappointed we spent the money on MoBay when there isn’t a long line? 

Absolutely not. We consider it arrival insurance -- ensuring we are able to get through customs and immigration quickly so we can spend more time on the beach. 

Club MoBay also has a departure program, that will escort you through security. That cost is $35. And while we usually haven’t had a problem exiting Jamaica as we always take one of the last flights of the day, our most recent trip had a very long line and Priority Pass was not accessible as they were over capacity. So from now on, we will be buying the departure option as well. Once you get through security, you also get access to their lounge once airside. It has great food and drink compared to most Priority Pass lounges in the U.S. and even has a kids play area at one of their two lounges. The smaller of the two lounges can get quite crowded but they are good about monitoring entry to ensure there are seats available upon entry. They also offer waitstaff service at tables throughout the lounge so you don’t have to get up and walk to the bar for a drink if you don’t want to. 

If you are traveling to Jamaica ALWAYS get Club MoBay.