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Kuala lumpur from port klang


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We will be on Superstar Virgo during December with Port Klang as a stop (14h00-24h00). Would we be able to visit Kuala Lumpur without taking an excursion?? We have travelled the world but not Asia as much. My research shows that there is a train service between the 2 cities, but how easy is it to get from the port to the station? What is the duration of the ride? Would it be easier/cheaper to just take a taxi to KL? We are a party of 4 - the youngest 11 and oldest 74! Any input & ideas are welcome!

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We will be on Superstar Virgo during December with Port Klang as a stop (14h00-24h00). Would we be able to visit Kuala Lumpur without taking an excursion?? We have travelled the world but not Asia as much. My research shows that there is a train service between the 2 cities, but how easy is it to get from the port to the station? What is the duration of the ride? Would it be easier/cheaper to just take a taxi to KL? We are a party of 4 - the youngest 11 and oldest 74! Any input & ideas are welcome!

 

Hi lst,

Kuala Lumpur is about a 2hr bus ride from Pt Klang depending on traffic. Most cruise lines offer a return bus trip into Kuala Lumpur from Pt Klang. I have not used the train before but others that have said it was good.

There is not much to see around Pt Klang except for a shopping mall which is about a 15min bus ride from the port.

 

Chez

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Thank you Chez. I have looked into the excursion option, but it is 11hrs and I think will be too much for my mother. We were thinking of taking the train to KL Sentral, from there with the HOP-ON bus around the city with a few stops. We're not really into shopping centres, but a visit to the Petronas Towers is a must for us. I'm hoping to do this within 6 hrs. Holding thumbs that somebody who has taken the train will respond:).

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  • 2 weeks later...
Thank you Chez. I have looked into the excursion option, but it is 11hrs and I think will be too much for my mother. We were thinking of taking the train to KL Sentral, from there with the HOP-ON bus around the city with a few stops. We're not really into shopping centres, but a visit to the Petronas Towers is a must for us. I'm hoping to do this within 6 hrs. Holding thumbs that somebody who has taken the train will respond:).

 

The ships tour would be best if you have not been to KL before. The petronas towers tours are normally pre booked. The weather in KL in December will be thunderstorms in the evening/late afternoon.

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Hi,

 

at the Costa Board there is a live review from Costa Victoria and the traveller wrote about his experience at Port Klang.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=36150786#post36150786

 

Here is the text:

 

At Port Klang, the gateway to Kuala Lumpur, we shared the pier today with Celebrity Solstice. It rained in the morning and would rain again during the hot and humid afternoon.

 

Here is the reality: There is no penny-pinching way to get to KL if you are here only for a day. We could have -- but refused -- to take a Costa excursion at the cost of a minimum of $140 pp. Instead, after taking the free shuttle bus to the port’s gates, we planned to take the electrified commuter train -- until the mafia confronted us, demanding $20 each way to the Klang railroad station a couple of clicks from the port.

 

I have never seen a more ruthless taxi mafia. There were about 60 taxis outside the gate. There were few takers, but they kept their extortion racket on. They demanded $100 for rides to KL and back.

 

It wasn’t the extortion price alone that upset me but also their behavior. If you asked any of these drivers for the price, they refused to tell you. Instead, they hailed an enforcer who gave the price. When one driver gave an independent offer to a group of Canadians, the enforcer threatened and intimidated him to the degree that the Canadians also felt uncomfortable and walked away.

 

I got so upset that I told a bunch of drivers that they were nothing but “Dushmen,” the Central Asian term for Islamic cut-throats in Afghanistan. They high-fived and hollered, proud that someone coming so far away recognized their professionalism.

 

The clock was ticking. The truth was that even if we got a lowball offer to the commuter station, we probably would have to spend two hours each way. One on the train, another waiting for it. And then hire a cab in KL. So when a cab driver some distance from the gate offered to take us to the station for $15, we grabbed him and then renegotiated the fare into a $80 tour of Kuala Lumpur. He was a nice middle-aged man of Chinese extraction, knowledgeable and able to speak understandable English.

 

We saw the main attractions and at each stop encountered shipmates who were on Costa tours.

 

KL, in parts, is a delightful city. The old Railway Station, with its cupolas and Islamiic touches, in particular is breathtaking. What a cruiser needs to know, though, is that traffic from and to Port Klang is murder. In the morning, a “lorry” had overturned on the road, spilling its cargo. More than four hours later, that traffic was still stacked up. So be forewarned. In general, the road is totally inadequate for the volume of tractor trailers and car carriers that traverse the distance.

 

Our cab ws a beat-up 2004 Proton. Proton was developed several decadss ago as a controversial national project. It was premised on the theory that Japan would soon be too developed to produce cars. So Malaysia wanted to become to car manufacturer to the world. Never happened, of course, because South Korea was faster. And now China and India.

 

The majority of cars in Malaysia are Protons, which enjoy both price and tax advantages. But those who can afford buy Toyota or some other import.

 

Back to traffic. It will be an increasing nightmare because the whole one-hour distance (if you are lucky) fetween Port Klang and KL is being developed. Villas, townhouses, condos. Factories and shopping malls.

 

On our upcoming cruise we will be at Port Klang, too. We will book through Costa! Enjoy your cruise!

Edited by black forest
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  • 1 month later...

I decided to answer my own question for future references: Star Cruises had a 6.5hrs excursion to various sights in KL, or a selections of "Transfers" to 4 different places of interest. We opted for the Shopping Galore transfer which was basically a transfer between the ship and the main shopping area in KL - our bus ride into the city was less than 1hr, but the return trip took nearly 2hrs!! We were indeed releaved that we decided not to take the train/taxi option. Once in KL we hopped in a taxi to Petronas Towers where we took pictures and did a bit of shopping in the centre before returning to the drop-off / pick-up point. Once back there we had only 45min before our return trip. The time allowed in KL is really not enough to see much of the city.

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Hi,

 

thank you very much for your reply. At the moment I am about to decide whether to take the ships shuttle to KL or book a day trip through the ship. The ship's excursion are about 8 hours all in all - we will arrive in Port Klang around 9 and leave at 7 pm.

 

What can you recommend: the shuttle and then the hop on hop off bus or better the whole tour in KL through the ship? Thank you very much in advance - greatly appreciated!!

Edited by black forest
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Hi,

 

at the Costa Board there is a live review from Costa Victoria and the traveller wrote about his experience at Port Klang.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=36150786#post36150786

 

Here is the text:

 

At Port Klang, the gateway to Kuala Lumpur, we shared the pier today with Celebrity Solstice. It rained in the morning and would rain again during the hot and humid afternoon.

 

Here is the reality: There is no penny-pinching way to get to KL if you are here only for a day. We could have -- but refused -- to take a Costa excursion at the cost of a minimum of $140 pp. Instead, after taking the free shuttle bus to the port’s gates, we planned to take the electrified commuter train -- until the mafia confronted us, demanding $20 each way to the Klang railroad station a couple of clicks from the port.

 

I have never seen a more ruthless taxi mafia. There were about 60 taxis outside the gate. There were few takers, but they kept their extortion racket on. They demanded $100 for rides to KL and back.

 

It wasn’t the extortion price alone that upset me but also their behavior. If you asked any of these drivers for the price, they refused to tell you. Instead, they hailed an enforcer who gave the price. When one driver gave an independent offer to a group of Canadians, the enforcer threatened and intimidated him to the degree that the Canadians also felt uncomfortable and walked away.

 

I got so upset that I told a bunch of drivers that they were nothing but “Dushmen,” the Central Asian term for Islamic cut-throats in Afghanistan. They high-fived and hollered, proud that someone coming so far away recognized their professionalism.

 

The clock was ticking. The truth was that even if we got a lowball offer to the commuter station, we probably would have to spend two hours each way. One on the train, another waiting for it. And then hire a cab in KL. So when a cab driver some distance from the gate offered to take us to the station for $15, we grabbed him and then renegotiated the fare into a $80 tour of Kuala Lumpur. He was a nice middle-aged man of Chinese extraction, knowledgeable and able to speak understandable English.

 

We saw the main attractions and at each stop encountered shipmates who were on Costa tours.

 

KL, in parts, is a delightful city. The old Railway Station, with its cupolas and Islamiic touches, in particular is breathtaking. What a cruiser needs to know, though, is that traffic from and to Port Klang is murder. In the morning, a “lorry” had overturned on the road, spilling its cargo. More than four hours later, that traffic was still stacked up. So be forewarned. In general, the road is totally inadequate for the volume of tractor trailers and car carriers that traverse the distance.

 

Our cab ws a beat-up 2004 Proton. Proton was developed several decadss ago as a controversial national project. It was premised on the theory that Japan would soon be too developed to produce cars. So Malaysia wanted to become to car manufacturer to the world. Never happened, of course, because South Korea was faster. And now China and India.

 

The majority of cars in Malaysia are Protons, which enjoy both price and tax advantages. But those who can afford buy Toyota or some other import.

 

Back to traffic. It will be an increasing nightmare because the whole one-hour distance (if you are lucky) fetween Port Klang and KL is being developed. Villas, townhouses, condos. Factories and shopping malls.

 

On our upcoming cruise we will be at Port Klang, too. We will book through Costa! Enjoy your cruise!

 

Thank you so much for posting this review. What not sure if we wanted to take a ship exursion to KL and this provided some very useful information.

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Black Forest, I'm normally not very keen on ships excursions as a lot of time is wasted waiting for others...However, this is one port where I would recommend the excursion - you will get to SEE a lot more, just not sure how much you will get to experience... Our main aim was to see the Twin Towers, which we did & the transfer was sufficient for that. If you want to see more of the city I would recommend the excursion. Have fun & enjoy your cruise!

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Ist, thank you for your reply and recommendation.

 

Indeed, I have booked a tour through Costa yesterday! :) I am glad, I did. I do agree, that I will see more and perhaps more relaxed. On the tour we will see the Petronas Towers, get up KL Tower, have a 2,5 walk in Chinatown, buffet-lunch and a city sightseeing tour by bus. And we don't have to worry about traffic and missing the ship.

 

Now I will check other port of calls.

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Hi,

 

at the Costa Board there is a live review from Costa Victoria and the traveller wrote about his experience at Port Klang.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=36150786#post36150786

 

Great review there. Unfortunately the Solstice and Victoria on that day had to berth at the cargo terminal because Virgo was in the cruise terminal. We don't have enough berths for all these mega-ships. It's not the best situation because the cargo terminal is also an extra 20-30mins away from the city.

 

The taxi issue has always been tough to handle but here at our cruise terminal it's been ironed out. Small consolation I guess if your cruise can't berth here.

 

I'd advise anyone coming to Port Klang for the first time to take a ship tour. The taxis (at our terminal) can be comparatively cheaper per pax but they don't have all the value-add that some of these packages have (demos, lunches etc). If it's your second time round though- feel free to explore! Plenty to see.

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no problem!

You will love Chinatown, especially if you're into architecture or history. It's called Chinatown by tourists but it's actually the heart of old KL, full of great historic buildings and quaint shops in between.

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  • 1 month later...
no problem!

You will love Chinatown, especially if you're into architecture or history. It's called Chinatown by tourists but it's actually the heart of old KL, full of great historic buildings and quaint shops in between.

 

So PKCC is still only able to hold one mega-ship? Where exactly is the location that the other ships are berthed at if they aren't at PKCC?

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  • 4 months later...

In the main cruise terminal at Port Klang there is a fixed taxi fare system in operation. A big boss takes a cut and allocates the work to the taxi drivers.

 

The price is probably double the meter fare, but still relatively cheap.

 

We used a fantastic driver in a new 7 seater a/c cab, and he is available for private bookings to and from KL or wherever.

 

Jernal: Tel. +6014-645-5886, e-mail: jernals003@yahoo.com

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  • 3 months later...
In the main cruise terminal at Port Klang there is a fixed taxi fare system in operation. A big boss takes a cut and allocates the work to the taxi drivers.

 

The price is probably double the meter fare, but still relatively cheap.

 

We used a fantastic driver in a new 7 seater a/c cab, and he is available for private bookings to and from KL or wherever.

 

Jernal: Tel. +6014-645-5886, e-mail: jernals003@yahoo.com

 

Thank you for your information Bollinge, I have just sent an email to Jernal and hope to hear from him soon.

We were also on your last cruise on Mariner of the Seas in but we boarded in Galveston in April and disembarked in Singapore in June.

This time we will be on the Voyager of the Seas from Singapore to Sydney in just under 3 weeks on Oct 24, Port Klang is one of our ports. Last time (in May) we decided not to go to KL and ventured only to the terminal. This time we'd like to go a little further, even if we have to book through RCCI.

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Thank you for your information Bollinge, I have just sent an email to Jernal and hope to hear from him soon.

We were also on your last cruise on Mariner of the Seas in but we boarded in Galveston in April and disembarked in Singapore in June.

This time we will be on the Voyager of the Seas from Singapore to Sydney in just under 3 weeks on Oct 24, Port Klang is one of our ports. Last time (in May) we decided not to go to KL and ventured only to the terminal. This time we'd like to go a little further, even if we have to book through RCCI.

 

Unfortunately my email has just been returned "can't be delivered", very disappointed, apart from ringing him do you any other way we can get in touch with Jernal?

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We happen to be in Port Klang next April are arranging a day with Jernal to KL and back. I sent him a text yesterday and he replied straight away. I have just asked for a valid email. Will let you know.

Edited by Bollinge
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We happen to be in Port Klang next April are arranging a day with Jernal to KL and back. I sent him a text yesterday and he replied straight away. I have just asked for a valid email. Will let you know.

 

Thank you, much appreciated.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Unfortunately my email has just been returned "can't be delivered", very disappointed, apart from ringing him do you any other way we can get in touch with Jernal?

 

Spoke to Jernal today on his mobile to confirm our day trip to KL from Port Klang next April aboard QM2. Sorry, forgot to ask him about his e-mail. He is taking us in his newish six-passenger plus driver A/C taxi from the ship to KL.

 

Mr Jernal's "teksi" cab at Port Klang to KL is £100 = USD 158 = AUD 160 for the whole day. Works out at twenty quid each.

 

Cunard's coach transfer to KL is $56 = £35 = AUD 58 each.

 

You pay him at the end. The price includes a decent tip!

 

He'll drop you off at three or four of the must-see sights in KL and shuttle you between them. The ship's tour just drops you off and picks you up at a shopping mall.

 

Jernal is of Indian extraction and speaks fluent English. His cellphone number is: + 60-14-645-5886.

 

Send him an SMS and he'll call you back.

Edited by Bollinge
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Spoke to Jernal today on his mobile to confirm our day trip to KL from Port Klang next April aboard QM2. Sorry, forgot to ask him about his e-mail. He is taking us in his newish six-passenger plus driver A/C taxi from the ship to KL.

 

Mr Jernal's "teksi" cab at Port Klang to KL is £100 = USD 158 = AUD 160 for the whole day. Works out at twenty quid each.

 

Cunard's coach transfer to KL is $56 = £35 = AUD 58 each.

 

You pay him at the end. The price includes a decent tip!

 

He'll drop you off at three or four of the must-see sights in KL and shuttle you between them. The ship's tour just drops you off and picks you up at a shopping mall.

 

Jernal is of Indian extraction and speaks fluent English. His cellphone number is: + 60-14-645-5886.

 

Send him an SMS and he'll call you back.

 

Thank you so much for going to so much trouble, but now it's too late to book him as we are flying to Singapore tomorrow and not enough time to organize 6 other passengers. At last resort I booked a tour from the ship, Voyager of the Seas & will be in KL on Friday, a lot more expensive but at least we'll see a bit of Kl.

Thanks again...............Sophie

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