Kuala Lumpur - please inspire me!

[tsutt35]

kjets can I ask how you booked the Blacklane Limousines? I just looked at their website and it will only let me book one way services rather than an hourly rate. It is hard to predict what time I would arrive at the caves and how long I would exactly spend there. Thanks in advance. We have been to KL before a couple of times and I have no interest in going into the city. The ship has a tour including the Batu Caves with a Pewter place and a museum but I'm not that interested in visiting them. I also thought it might be cheaper to do it ourselves rather than spend the AU$115 per person for the two of us.

[OldBoot]

I'm interested in this type of tour as well. We're on the ms Volendam in February. Are we by any chance sailing together?

 

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[kjets]

kjets can I ask how you booked the Blacklane Limousines? I just looked at their website and it will only let me book one way services rather than an hourly rate. It is hard to predict what time I would arrive at the caves and how long I would exactly spend there. Thanks in advance. We have been to KL before a couple of times and I have no interest in going into the city. The ship has a tour including the Batu Caves with a Pewter place and a museum but I'm not that interested in visiting them. I also thought it might be cheaper to do it ourselves rather than spend the AU$115 per person for the two of us.

 

tsutt35 this was the reason we went by ourselves and we loved it! If I remember correctly when you go to organise the trip there is a small tick box for ordering it hourly. We were there for over 2hrs as we really did take our time. If we did it again I would know to speak to the driver when we were going and ask him to get pick up for us in the parking area at the base of the steps. Our driver who picked us up was waiting out on the street and we were waiting in the carpark for nearly an hour! And it was very hot and humid!

 

If you can't find the tick box for booking hourly just email blacklane. They were always extremely helpful whenever I emailed them.

Enjoy your trip, we certainly did!

[tsutt35]

tsutt35 this was the reason we went by ourselves and we loved it! If I remember correctly when you go to organise the trip there is a small tick box for ordering it hourly. We were there for over 2hrs as we really did take our time. If we did it again I would know to speak to the driver when we were going and ask him to get pick up for us in the parking area at the base of the steps. Our driver who picked us up was waiting out on the street and we were waiting in the carpark for nearly an hour! And it was very hot and humid!

 

If you can't find the tick box for booking hourly just email blacklane. They were always extremely helpful whenever I emailed them.

Enjoy your trip, we certainly did!

 

Thanks for the quick response and the advice. Extremely helpful.

[rome2009]

1. Does anyone have first hand knowledge of anyone missing the ship due to traffic issues from KL to Port Klang?

2. Does anyone have first hand knowledge of the cost of a taxi to and from KL from Port Klang?

3. Does anyone know the price charged by private taxis to tour KL from Port Klang? I have heard anywhere from US $100 to $150.

 

Thanks for the answers in advance.

[scotslizzy]

When visiting the markets and buying items is it normal to haggle or just pay the rate suggested?

 

Scotslizzy

[MrsWaldo]

Lizzy I haggled in China town

 

The price in Central Market appeared fixed as I tried a few times and the price didn't change. It may have been we were the only non Asian in Central for the hour we were there and it was very quiet in general.

 

For the info of others I booked a private driver who came with an itinerary but as there were things we wanted to see and others we wanted to skip he was flexible and took us to where we wanted to go.

 

He wasn't cheap but he had water, a nice aircon van, spoke excellent English and we were back at the ship just after 3.30 which was what I wanted.

 

Our ship ran free shuttle to Port Klang... I had been warned by a friend who lives in Asia that the taxi drivers there will really rip you off to get back to the dock, so be prepared.

[scotslizzy]

We are actually in KL for a few days and then take a taxi to the port to board our Ship. Looking forward to this cruise as it's a very different par of the world for us.

 

Scotslizzy

[Amyracecar]

I was wondering if anyone has done any Kuala Lumpur 'on your own' type tours and if they drop you off anywhere near the station? (KL sentral)

 

I don't know if it varies from ship to ship but they often use the same local tour operators so I'm hoping they're similar. We'll be on the Celebrity Millennium anyway.

 

We're considering going to KL on the official tour as it's not too expensive and then getting the train to Batu Caves from there so we have a bit more time. It seems to only be around 20-25 minutes so it'd make me feel easier than doing the whole thing on public transport but still avoid the rushed ship's tour (that one also does the pewter museum etc)

[lilly4350]

1. Does anyone have first hand knowledge of anyone missing the ship due to traffic issues from KL to Port Klang?

 

I have first hand knowledge of NOT missing the ship because we were on a ship's tour in KL. Our bus got caught in peak hour traffic and we were at least 1 hour late getting back to the ship. It was nice to know it was still sitting there with the gangplank down waiting for us. I would have been totally freaking out if we had been on a private tour.

[Amyracecar]

It sounds like with a ship's tour you're paying for peace of mind at this port.

 

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[ROCruiser]

Hi, Lawrence, since you are from Penang, may I ask you questions about that port?

We will be in Penang from 8AM to 6PM. I am thinking of going to Penang Hill first thing and then come back to the port area and explore George Town. Will we have enough time to also include Kek Lok Se while we are in the Penang Hill area? Will bus 204 work for both places? How should we time our visit?

Thanks!

[ROCruiser]

Thank you very much, Lawrence, for the suggestions. Will definitely keep them in mind.:)

[OldBoot]

Your ship is scheduled to embark at 8AM. But by the time you get off from the ship, I guess it is already 9AM or later (I was there at the port last week to pick up my guests from Celebrity Millennium and the port technicians took almost an hour to hoist and install the steel foot bridge, very primitive).

 

Penang Hill and Kek Lok Si Temple are near to each other, about 10 mins away. It takes about 30 minutes from the port if the traffic is good. I would suggest that you hire a licensed tour guide + car/van if you want to go to these two places for three reasons:

 

(1) If you use a private car/van, the driver can drive all the way up to the highest point in Kek Lok Si Temple where the 31m Kuan Im (Goddess of Mercy) statue is located. If you follow the big groups (coaches provided by the cruise management), the TGs will only show you the main hall of Kek Lok Si because the highest point is not accessible by coaches/buses (hence missing the view of George Town). Even from the coach park to the main hall, you have to climb the staircase for 15 minutes. This is not adviseable to elderly people. From the main hall to the Kuan Im statue, you have to climb starcases for another 15 minutes and then take a 5-min tram. You don't have time to do that.

 

There used to be a van driver touting at the coach park providing 2-way van service to Kuan Im statue at RM$10/person. Unfortunately Ricky passed away last month from cancer.

 

(2) If you want to go Penang Hill, you have to put this at the very top of the itinerary. You want to reach there before the big groups. The funicular train can only ferry 80 persons per trip X 15 minutes a trip.

 

(3) It is much cheaper hiring a private tour guide + car/van if you have a group of 4 or more, comparing to joining the big groups provided by the cruise management. I was told by my guests that the cruise management charged US$190/person for a Penang or Kuala Lumpur city tour!

 

Here is something I suggest (in the sequence as shown) for 9AM-5PM trip:

 

Penang Hill >>

 

Kek Lok Si Temple >>

 

Lunch in George Town (I usually suggest buffet lunch at Eastern & Oriental Hotel to my guests. US$19.50 nett. It's the oldest and most expensive hotel in town.) >>

 

Trishaw ride (an Oriental tricycle) through the pre-war houses which gave George Town the UNESCO World Heritage title. >>

 

Khoo Kongsi clan temple >>

 

Short walking tour to Art Street + the famous "Children On Bicycle" mural. >>

 

Pinang Peranakan Museum (ranked #1 in TripAdvisor) >>

 

Chew Jetty (always keep this at the bottom of your schedule as it is only 3 minutes away from the port) >>

 

Back to the port.

 

P/S: If you have sufficient time, spend 10 minutes visiting the handmade joss stick shop. It is a dying tradition.

 

HINT: You can find a good licensed tour guide + car/van for up to 4 paxs / 14 paxs respectively in www.ToursByLocals.com

You have offered some great tips. May I ask, how does one tell if the tour guide is licensed?

 

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[happyholidaycampers]

while I was browsing some Asian destinations for my cruise in January, I stumbled over this thread. Just wanted to let you know what I found on a german cruise forum. Public transport is only a 10 min taxi ride away from the cruise terminal. The station is called Port Klang - . The trains are called KTM komuter. They're modern trains with aircondition etc. They're leaving every 15 mins and the ride into KL takes 1 hour 15 minutes. I've heard they are very reliable - and there'll be no issues with taxi/ traffic. They're stopping at KL sentral. In the heart of KL. A ride costs 3,40 EUR (return). A taxi ride to the station should not be more than 8 Euros- but of course they will try to get more from you. Just in case anybode is interested to explore the town on their own.

 

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I have heard of this option but thought than when you return to Port Klang Station it was difficult to get a taxi back to the ship. Has anyone had experience with this?

[SimBaSunset]

@happyholidaycampers

 

yes, I actually did this when I was there in January. It was no problem at all to get a taxi back to the ship. I also didn't return with the last komuter train but several earlier. Still wasn't a problem. Please make sure you get the latest time table from the komuter website. They changed lines a little bit so that you now have to change trains if you want to e.g. continue from sentral to Batu Caves.

Edited June 17, 2016 by SimBaSunset

[happyholidaycampers]

Great news -this is what we will do also!