sj-cruiser

I forgot to mention the reason we went with the private driver is the port stop was extended by 5 hours but the ship excursions were not extended. We were going to originally go with the excursion to the shopping area because it was an easy way to get there and back without risking missing the ship. However when they didn't extend the excursions for the longer time in port we decided it was worth getting a private driver.

I'll have to find out what app or website my wife used but we had a fantastic time in Kuala Lumpur. We ended up taking a private tour from a guy who used to be a restaurant and hotel manager in the area. He was amazing and got us to places we might not have known of otherwise. We got to see lots of different things and places and he made sure to get us back about an hour before we had to be on the ship. Kuala Lumpur ended up being our favorite stop on the trip other than Singapore where we started and ended the cruise. I can try to find out if my wife still has his information.

I wrote this in another thread before finding this one: ----- We were on a Singapore to Singapore cruise to Thailand and Malaysia on the Westerdam Feb 3-14. We brought two bottles of red wine and two of white with us. One of the bottles of white was in our carryon and the other three were in our "checked" luggage. When we got to the carryon x-ray machine we let the person running it know we had a bon voyage bottle in our carryon and that we'd have have to pay corkage for it. They said don't worry about it. We also never got charged for the other three bottles. ----- However we were prepared to pay the corkage if need be. The prices they charge for wine onboard are ridiculous compared to what a bottle costs here in California. It's worth it to us to bring wine we know we will enjoy and pay the $20 because it will cost the same or less than what we can get onboard.

We are not tied to any particular cruise line but have cruised most on HAL. Most of our cruise decisions have been based on where we wanted to go and which ship offered the best itinerary and least days at sea. We started cruising back in the early 90's and had our first HAL trip (our 2nd cruise) 2003 when we went to Alaska. We loved that cruise and thought everything was amazing. With each subsequent HAL trip the cruise line has been slipping. However HAL still offered a reasonable price to experience ratio for our most recent trip but that might be our last HAL trip. The things that got me the most on our most recent cruise was the lack of quality and interesting meals in the main dining room. We're also bothered that there is no longer a lobster night and that steak in the main dining room costs extra. There were a few wonderful dishes and appetizers during the cruise but they were definitely few and far apart. The one area where HAL has not gone downhill in my eyes is the quality of their lowest level employees. They were all very professional, upbeat or at least pleasant and very welcoming and helpful. Whoever is running that portion of their ships is doing a great job as far as I'm concerned.

We were on the Westerdam February 3-14 travelling around Thailand and Malaysia from Singapore. When we got on board our room was too cold. As the week progressed the room got warmer and warmer even though the temp setting was as low as possible. We started to leave the drapes closed when we were out so the sun wouldn't warm the room too much. We met one woman onboard who said the AC wasn't working in her room at all and this was on day four. She even threatened to go sleep in one of the common areas since her room was too hot. We also met one cruiser who didn't have any hot water in her room and another set of cruisers who only had hot water in their room. The Westerdam seemed to be having problems on this cruise.

We were on a Singapore to Singapore cruise to Thailand and Malaysia on the Westerdam last month. We brought two bottles of red wine and two of white with us. One of the bottles of white was in our carryon and the other three were in our "checked" luggage. When we got to the carryon x-ray machine we let the person running it know we had a bon voyage bottle in our carryon and that we'd have have to pay corkage for it. They said don't worry about it. We also never got charged for the other three bottles. We drank the two whites in our room (they had screw tops so opening them was not an issue) and it was so hot and humid we didn't feel like drinking the reds so they cruised with us and got off the boat with is. If one every cruises to Singapore be careful if your last stop is in Malaysia before arriving in Singapore. Evidently all alcohol from Malaysia is taxed when coming into Singapore. There were a lot of other cruisers who were getting off in Singapore. Several of them had bought liquor in Malaysia in the duty free shops and when they tried to bring it in to Singapore they were being asked to pay tax on them. The tax was running about $30 to $40 Singapore dollars per bottle. I was stopped because of the red wine I brought in even though I explained I had brought it from the US and we just didn't drink on the ship. We had paid $95 and $70 for the bottles so we were going to pay the tax because we didn't want to lose the wine. When it came time to pay for them the tax agent asked a lot of questions including how much I had paid for the wine. They asked for receipts for the bottles but since I'd bought them several years ago I didn't have them. I think they looked up the wine on the internet and found out that winery doesn't distribute and eventually let me through with the bottles without having to pay tax on them.

I'll be on the Westerdam in a couple of weeks and this is one of the stops. The port is Port Kelang and I've read in another post here people are saying it takes an hour to an hour and a half to get to Kuala Lumpur from the port. I'm wondering what the options are. Is there any public transportation (bus, train, etc...)? Do taxis go there from the port and if so how much and is it easy to get a taxi back to the ship? How much should one expect to pay for a private car and are there any ways to make sure you have a reliable car and driver? I generally dislike taking the ship's excursions but sometimes I know those are the best ways to get places while on a cruise.

Unfortunately this is no longer available. I've checked multiple sites and all of them say it isn't available for booking anymore. I'm so happy you were able to experience it and wish I'd be able to as well.

Wow! What an amazing write up. Thank you so much for sharing that. I think we have a winner!

I'll be stopping for an overnight stay on Holland America Feb 3 through the 4th. cruisemapper.com said that overnight cruise ships are tendered in but Holland America says they're docked. Assuming Holland America is correct is there anyone here who has taken Holland America to Phuket for an overnight stay and what was it like where the ship is docked? When did you go and how much did it cost to get into Phuket City? What were your highlights when you were there? Thank you in advance.

It used to be that one only paid corkage if one brought a bottle to a dining room or bar. For that bottle of Simi Saugivnon Blanc you're probably better off buying a bottle and paying the corkage. It's about $15 here with one place having it for $10.

Thank you CruiserBruce and AFNavigator. It seems reasonable to get 4 glasses of good wine for $5 a glass plus with you paid for the bottle in the first place. As I recall last time I cruised (2019) a passable wine was usually about $9 a glass and it's probably gone up since then.

For those who have brought wine on board after the policy change when did you get charged the corkage?

Thank you Heidi13, here's a bit more about our interests. We tend to be more active than a lot of other folks we meet on cruises and like to either go hiking or bicycling in the ports we visit. We also enjoy walking around the cities we visit on our own "tour" rather than taking something organized. We do occasionally take food tours in ports when there's time to take one.

We're currently deciding between the HAL cruises from Singapore in Feb 2023. One goes to Thailand and Malaysia while the other goes to Indonesia. I'd like to hear from folks who've been on cruises in those areas to find out which you preferred and why you preferred it. It doesn't need to have been a HAL cruise.