The arrival, with children
The immigration queue is the hard part. Between landing and walking out is 35–50 minutes on a quiet day and 70–100 in peak season, most of it standing.
- Check the live immigration queue by terminal before you even land, if someone is meeting you. It is on the home page.
- Keep snacks and water in hand luggage, not in the case that is on the belt.
- Pushchairs come back at the aircraft door on most airlines — ask when you board, because on some they go to the baggage belt instead, and that changes everything about the queue.
- Everyone needs their own passport, including babies. Entry documents.
Facilities
Changing facilities
In the terminal bathrooms, both landside and airside.
Food
Mostly airside. Before dawn and late at night the choice thins out — bring
something.
Somewhere to sit still
A lounge day pass buys space away from the gate crowds, which on a long delay
is worth more than the food. What it costs.
Wi-Fi
Free, no time limit. Download what they will watch before you fly
rather than relying on it.
Getting to the hotel
The one part of the trip where the choice genuinely matters with small children.
- Car seats are not standard in taxis and are not automatically in a transfer either. If you need one, request it when you book.
- A private transfer is priced per vehicle, so a family of five pays once. It also means no queue at the counter with tired children.
- The ADO bus is priced per person, which makes it the expensive option for a family, and it drops you at a bus station rather than the hotel.
Flying home
- Leave earlier than you think. Check-in with children and luggage takes longer, and so does security.
- Liquids rules apply to baby food and milk, but there are exemptions for infants — declare them at security rather than hiding them in the bag.
- Sunburn and heat are the two things that most often make a departure day miserable. The terminal is air-conditioned; the queue outside it is not.