Port help please - Malaysia - Malacca, Penang, Langkawi and Kuala Lumpur

Hi we will be on a Singapore to Singapore cruise in February that hits Bangkok as well as ports in Malaysia. We are ok, we think, on Singapore and Bangkok as there is lots of information out there and the boards are great.

However, does anyone have any comments on the ports in Malaysia of

Malacca

Penang

Langkawi

Kuala Lumpur?

Are these ports places where we can do the places on our own? If so, what do you recommend? How big are these cities?

Our ship tour brochure says in Kuala Lumpur it is about 1-1/2 hour drive to the city from the dock, but they do offer an option for just transfers to and from the ship. Can we do it on our own from there?

Any help you can give on these ports will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much.

We went to all of those ports on the Superstar Gemini but it was about 6 years ago, so I am sure somebody has more up-to-date experience, but we did take the shuttle bus into KL and explored on our own from there. If you dock at Port Klang I think it would be quite difficult to get to KL on your own - I don't remember seeing taxis around and the bus was not expensive, from what I remember we were pleased to have used it.

The other ports we did on our own. In Langkawi we shared a taxi with another couple and it was a few miles to the main town, but it rained torentially all day so unfortunately we did not see the island at its best. In Penang the dock was close to the town but we hired a taxi just for the 2 of us for a few hours and had a fantastic day. The driver was brilliant and once he realised we were interested in different temples he took us to several, including the place he worshiped which was definately not on the tourist trail.

In Malacca I think the ship ran a shuttle bus into the town for a modest charge. I can't remember how far it was, but once we were in the city it was easy to walk around from there to a market, antique shops and a shopping mall.

Hope some of this helps.

Thank you so much PaulandKathy for your reply. I think we will take the transfer and do Kuala Lumpur on our own, as you did. I found out there is an Eyewitness Guide on Malaysia due out in December, so have ordered it. Our cruise is in February so we'll have time to read up. We are excited about the Thai ports, seeing Malaysia and of course, Singapore and Bangkok. We also are flying to Siem Reap for Angkor Wat on our own after the cruise. It looks very exotic, and we have not been to the Far East or SE Asia at all, so we'll begin here and hope to do China and Japan the next year. All new places to explore!

Thank you so much PaulandKathy for your reply. I think we will take the transfer and do Kuala Lumpur on our own, as you did. I found out there is an Eyewitness Guide on Malaysia due out in December, so have ordered it. Our cruise is in February so we'll have time to read up. We are excited about the Thai ports, seeing Malaysia and of course, Singapore and Bangkok. We also are flying to Siem Reap for Angkor Wat on our own after the cruise. It looks very exotic, and we have not been to the Far East or SE Asia at all, so we'll begin here and hope to do China and Japan the next year. All new places to explore!

Hi gr8lakes,

I will be on a 3-night Malaysia cruise (Singapore to singapore) with 2 stops in Malaysia (Port Klang and Penang) on RCCL Legend of the Seas. Can you tell me if you have gotten any good info on these 2 ports? Also, I found that RCCL's ship departs at 9pm and we will not be able to board until 6pm...I think I will need to find a way to store luggage then tour Singapore. Is the cruise terminal close to the airport?

Thanks!

Hi pchen hope you have a great time on your cruise. It has been very difficult to find a lot of information on thes ports. I suggest checking under Destinations on cruise critic as they do have port information on Kuala Lumpur. Also, I have googled the various cities and countries we will visit and have gotten information from their tourist sites.

There is an Eyewitness guide on Malaysia that will be published in December and I have ordered it. Looking forward to getting it to do some more research before February.

Have fun and let me know if you find any more out also.

Hi,

We are travelling to all of these ports in June on the Sun Princess, I was wondering if you could tell me how you went, there is so little information about them.

Thanks

Fiona

Hi gr8lakes,

Also, I found that RCCL's ship departs at 9pm and we will not be able to board until 6pm...I think I will need to find a way to store luggage then tour Singapore. Is the cruise terminal close to the airport?

 

Thanks!

Nothing is close to the Airport in Singapore (including hotels) - it's at least a 30-40 minute drive from the airport to the cruise ship terminal. However, the cruise ship terminal is pretty centrally located. What time are you arriving in Singapore? It might be your best bet to get a room at a hotel near the cruise terminal. There's a really good map of Singapore, on the government site at http://www.map.gov.sg/StreetMap/