Negril/Board n00b here. Hi! Questions about air travel ATW->ATL->MJB

Hello Negril Boardies!

Been lurking here for a few months and my wife and I are 2 days away from our honeymoon trip to Negril. We are staying 10 days at SATP Feb 10th-19th with a Saturday night at Seastar Inn. The information and tips available on this board are excellent and are an invaluable resource for a novice traveler to Negril and Jamaica as a whole. Thanks everyone!

As most any other questions I've had about coming to Negril have been answered here or elsewhere my last remaining concerns/unknowns involve the actual air travel to Negril.

My wife and I have very limited air travel experience and neither of us have ever flown internationally. We booked round trip tickets on Delta are leaving from ATW Appleton, WI. The airport opens at 4am so we only have 1h 40m before our flight leaves. This is a small airport so I figure this will be simple enough, however ATL Atlanta, GA looks huge! Never having flown out of Atlanta let alone flown to a foreign country I'm looking for some information from anyone who has flown out of Atlanta. I've looked at maps of ATL so I guess my questions are as follows:

1) Round trip tickets:
Do we get all the tickets needed to get to Sangster Intl MBJ and back in Appleton at ATW?
How do e-tickets and airline tickets in general work?

2) ATL Atlanta, GA:
We have roughly 1h 50m to depart one plane and catch our flight to MJB. Is that enough time?
We are both in our mid 30's so walking is not an issue but: Do we have to take a shuttle to the International departures part of the airport?

3) Sangster Intl, MBJ Baggage claim:
Is the baggage claim for checked luggage pretty straightforward to locate?
Any Sangster Intl MBJ tips for a first time traveler?

Can't wait to come to Negril!

Thanks for any help!

You should get all your boarding pass to Jamaica when you check in. You can probably do it on line at home. You will get the return paper work when you check in for your return flight.
That will be plenty of time in Atlanta. You will have to take the train to the international gates but the signage is easy to follow.
We fly Delta out of MSP through Atlanta, never had a problem.
Your luggage will be easy to find once you're through immigration.
Relax and have a great time!

I love flying through Atlanta. It's huge but we've always found it to be very efficient. As Ras says, you'll have to hop on the train to get to your terminal but the trains are very quick and frequent. When we have checked bags, they have always been there waiting when we get through immigration and MBJ is easy to find your way around. Enjoy your trip!

I'm excited for you guys!! You will be issued tickets for your trip TO MoBay. When you enter the airport in MoBay for departure, there are kiosks for you to enter you info and receive your tickets for your trip back home.

Regarding ATL...that should be plenty of times and there is a transit system that will help make it easier.

Your luggage retrieval is pretty straight forward in Jamaica.
Hope this helps some. Have a great trip and enjoy to the max!!!

Tie something bright like a ribbon to you checked luggage, it will make it easier to spot. You think that you will recognize your own suitcase but ya don't....

Thanks for the replies everyone! Sounds simple enough! :) Now for a long 52 hour wait....Soon come!

LOL I remember my first trip to Jamaica and it was my first flight ever too. The thing I remember most about our arrival at Montego Bay was how helpful the people there are. The airports in the US you pretty much have to ask if you need help or have questions. Once you get through Immigration in Jamaica everyone will be helping you. I was so scared the first time, people asking where you are going and directing you here and there and wondering if they directed us to the right bus etc. But those guys know what they are doing and will get you where you need to be

I'd add to this that you should probably arrange for your transit to Negril from MBJ ahead of time, especially since you are a first-time travelers. Jamaican's are AWESOME but there are plenty of people everywhere who will take advantage of naivety.

Airport opening time is fine for the first flight leg to Atlanta, as that part is domestic. HAVE FUN!

SoloTraveller- We have our airport transfers and a day tour booked with Steve Positive Tours. Steve assures us we are in good hands for our trip to Paradise. Thanks again for all the responses and the great information available on this board! You guys are great! :)

This may seem a silly question, but you both have passports, right? Remember to bring them!

We also fly out of a small airport, and for us, arriving more than an hour before flight time for early morning flights is just silly. At our airport, there will be a total of around 40 people going through checkin and security. If we were there the 2 hours early that they tell you, we'd be standing around waiting first for the airline checkin desk to open (not more than an hour before flight time), then for the security line to open (maybe 45 minutes before flight time).

I always put a photocopy of our passports (the first page with the information that you would need if they were lost) and our itinerary in each bag, checked or not. If a bag is misplaced, they will get it to where you are staying. The only issue I ever had with checked baggage is once the bags got through handling faster than we got through immigration & customs, and an airport worker "helpfully" took them off the baggage conveyor belt and set them aside. We stood there waiting for 20 minutes before we realized that our bag might be one of the ones in that group set off to the side.

On the way back, I expect you'll go through US immigration, get your bag, and go through US customs all in Atlanta, then re-check your bags for Appleton.

And if you buy Alcohol at the duty free at the airport in Montego Bay to bring home, you can get it on the plane as carry on there because you bought it at the airport but you will have to repack it in your checked bag in Atlanta before the leg home because it exceeds the 3 oz limit

you have plenty of time, we fly the ATW-ATL-MBJ route 4-6 times a year and other than strong winds delaying flights out of ATW, you will have plenty of time to make the turn in ATL. Out of our last 25 trips using this route, I would say we only missed our connection twice and both times was due to booking the 45 minute connection and the plane was one hour late. They guote about 2h 20m for trip however wheels up to down is closer to 1h45m and with the early morning flights taxing to gate in ATL is usually pretty quick. If you have any other questions just PM us and we will be happy to help.

you may want to consider using Club MoBay as there would be someone who will guide you through the lines and paperwork to expedite your trip incoming as well as departure. They have a nice club lounge to relax and chill.

Congratulations!

Nice to see some fellow Appletonians on here!

Have a great honeymoon in paradise! Don't worry too much about the getting there part, just enjoy your time together. Every little ting gonna be alright as they say.

Don't be afraid to ask someone if you do need assistance though, most people are usually glad to help.

Fulljoy your stay!!!

(now that you are "full fledged" we'll be expecting some pictures and a nice trip report) ;)

Hey Jamon. I have been flying from Appleton Green Bay or Milwaukee for years. You have plenty of time to transfer in Atlanta. If you have any more questions let me know.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nori

you may want to consider using Club MoBay as there would be someone who will guide you through the lines and paperwork to expedite your trip incoming as well as departure. They have a nice club lounge to relax and chill.

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I appreciate Club MoBay, but it's definitely not for everyone as evidenced by the many back and forth opinions in several forums. It helps me get from plane to lounge in 20 minutes or less. Which can be fast or slow depending on your day of travel!

When you check in to ATW, you'll get your tickets booked thru to MBJ. When you depart MBJ back to ATW, you then get the rest of your ticketing back home.
e-tickets are available to you about 24 hrs. prior to departing. Delta will send you a e-mail saying its time to check in. You'll need a printer to print out the tickets or wait till you get to the airport and do it at a Delta kiosk or an agent. Checked baggage will run $25 per piece one way. Check the ATL web site, www.atlanta-airport.com/ to get some bearing on where to catch a shuttle for the connecting flight. Once in at ATL you have almost 2 hrs to get from one gate to another, plenty of time. Your checked baggage is checked thru to MBJ so no worry there. Sangster is a very easy airport to locate your baggage, you'll see. Remember a lot of cash, a credit card for emergency, passport that doesn't expire in less than 90 days. Have a very relaxing, fun time together. Respect Mon

Jamon -

Kaukauna here... you're getting lots of good advice here. Here's a checklist of what to expect.

Planes out of ATW are relatively small. If you're packing a carryon, they'll probably have you check it as valet at the boarding gate, which you'll have to pick up at the jet bridge in Atlanta. Minor inconvenience.

ATL to MBJ does not always depart from the international terminal. Last month, our Appleton arrival was at Terminal D, and MBJ gate was in Terminal E.

ATL is easy. You get from one terminal to the other underground. Check the display at Atlanta on arrival to determine your MBJ departure gate, then find the nearest stairwell to get underground. If it's a D to E thing like ours was, it's a leisurely walk. If MBJ does depart from a more distant terminal like the international, then take the train... it's very easy.

Relax on your flight, but you will have to fill in your Jamaican immigration forms before you land. HINT... bring black or blue pens with you for this.

On arrival, have your passports and completed immigration forms ready. Someone at the entry to Immigration Hall will check your paperwork and direct you to a line, or hopefully, to an automated kiosk (much quicker). Don't be afraid to ask for assistance.

After you have finished up in immigration, proceed to the luggage carousels. Again, check the displays to see which carousel your luggage will be on, but bear in mind, they don't always follow what the display says.

Once you have your luggage, proceed to Customs. If you have nothing declared on your forms, find the shortest GREEN line. Once you hand them you're form, head over to the transportation area.

Here is where you need to keep your head screwed on straight as a n00b. Not sure of your transportation arrangements, but be aware that this can be very competitive and none of these guys are above stealing someone's fare. Be sure that the ride you get is the one you arranged.

Coming home is similar, but be aware that I&C here in the states can be a pretty intimidating process to the uninitiated. Don't be afraid to ask for assistance. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me chris dot bevers at sbcglobal dot net

Oh... and congrats!

Thanks for all the replies, especially the very detailed replies from the Fox Valley locals! I think I know what to expect from here on out. We definitely have the passport/airport transfer covered. Tomorrow we're off to Negril!

wow did not know there were that many from the Fox Valley WI area who head to Negril however over the past 2 years I have meet 3 couples down in Negril who live within 30 minutes of us; crazy!

It is strange, I'm in Michigan and I've met several people that live within the same distance to me. One time, as we were checking out of one hotel and moving to another I struck up a conversation with a guy with a block M tattoo (Michigan Wolverines, Go Blue!). Turns out, they were moving into our room, he's a regular on a Michigan Athletics site that I frequent, went to my high school, and lives a few minutes away from my house. Small world. Since then we've met a couple others that live within 20 minutes or so.