First Cruise: Diamond Princess - 4 Days Malaysia (Penang, Langkawi, Port Klang)

[yflyer]

We sailed overnight and in the morning docked at the Boustead Cruise Centre in Port Klang...



There was a large cruise centre with duty free shopping right at the pier, and there were many taxis available to bring cruise passengers on an excursion to Kuala Lumpur, a 45 minute, 45km taxi ride away.



Mrs yflyer and I had been to KL many times before, and so didn't make the trip to the city this time round, but many other cruise guests did.

But Klang is famous for Bak Kut Teh, and we decided to head on shore in search of Klang-style Bak Kut Teh.

I did a quick internet search of websites and food blogs, and eventually found a suitable place to eat this local favourite...

We disembarked and headed to the terminal to find a taxi. There were lots of taxis waiting. Rather than try to haggle for a fare, we obtained a taxi from the fixed price taxi counter...



It would be RM 80 for a round trip taxi to Klang, where our driver would wait for us to eat, and then bring us back to the terminal.

Our taxi driver was a friendly middle-aged Malaysian-Indian gentleman who seemed quite amused that we were venturing out just for food...



"This area is mainly industrial..." he explained..."...most visitors want to go on an excursion to Kuala Lumpur..."

Our restaurant of choice was Lai Hing (San Mei) Bak Kut Teh, in Pandamaran, near Port Klang...

Apart from checking and double checking the address on Google Maps, we also got their phone number. Earlier in the day, Mrs yflyer, who spoke Cantonese, called the outlet to speak to the staff...

"Are you open today?"

"Yes we are..."

"And you are at Jalan Ah Choo?"

"That's right!"

Perfect...and that was where our taxi dropped us off.

To our dismay, the outlet was deserted. There was no-one there.

Mrs yflyer called again...

"Are you open?"

"Yes..."

"But we are there, and the outlet is closed..."

"Oh! We just moved a few weeks ago to another place just down the road...where are you? I'll come out..."

We walked along the street and saw a lady with a cell phone waving at us from across the street 50m away...

Perfect! We crossed the street to their new, and much larger, premises...

They had also rebranded their restaurant...it was now "Restaurant Samy"...which I would presume originated from their previous name: San Mei ( 三美)....



And they were doing a roaring business in dry-style bak kut teh...which is different from Singapore's peppery soup bak kut teh, and even KL-style herbal soup bak kut teh...



In this version of the dish, it was less about the soup -- a thick, delicious and fragant stock -- and more about the cuts of pork and meat.



...which were stewed to perfection in large pots, then sliced and served to order...

[yflyer]

But first the tea...

"You pour the tea...", I asked Mrs yflyer.

There was a certain way to do this, and while she was no expert, she had a better idea of what the process was than I did...



Given what was to come next, it was important to have hot, fragrant tea to wash it all down...

We ordered an assortment of dishes...

A juicy pork knuckle, glistening in a fragrant broth...



Pork ribs that fell off the bone in tender chunks...



Stewed pork intestines in a dark gravy...



It was all marvellous...eaten with rice, and fresh-cut green chilli which had a crisp, clean and spicy edge to it...





Apart from pork, there was also stewed chicken feet...a dish which you either love or hate...



A satisfying meal...well worth the journey from the cruise centre.

Go early though...they open at 7.30am and usually sell out by noon...

[yflyer]

Cheers yflyer! Perfectly timed TR as I'll be bringing my family on our first cruise ever in March. We will doing Penang and Phuket on Royal Caribbean... Should be fun.

The Royal Caribbean ships look really impressive...I'm sure you will have a great time, Pinkfloyd!

[yflyer]

Back onboard the ship after our excursion to Port Klang, we discovered that the ship's crew had put up even more Christmas decor in the public areas...



Our vessel would only depart for Singapore at 5.30pm in the afternoon...we spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the onboard facilities.



Another cruise ship, the SuperStar Aquarius, had docked alongside...



In the early evening, with a loud blast of the ship's horn, our vessel cast off her moorings, made a surprisingly rapid and graceful u-turn and headed for Singapore...



Tip: Try not to be on the Bridge when the ship's horn goes off...it is incredibly loud. My ears were ringing for minutes afterwards...



I spent a long time by the railing watching the scenery go by as we departed Port Klang...



The port facilities at Klang are impressive, and a lot of other ships went by as well, some passing quite close to our vessel...





The sunset off the west coast of Malaysia was beautiful as well...

[yflyer]

The last dinner on a cruise is always special, with the chefs going all out to make a strong final impression, and the service staff pampering guests, and encouraging everyone to order and eat as many dishes as they could...



Some highlights included sauteed chicken and veal sweetbreads, in a mushroom sauce and filo pastry as one of the starters...



Seafood stew with Chilean Sea Bass, Mussels and Clams...



...and Ice Cream Bombe "Diplomate" (Similar to a Baked Alaska...) for dessert...



I finished dinner with another 2 shooters...these shots were "Brain Hemorrhage" (Irish Cream, Schnapps and Grenadine) and "Kamikaze" (Vodka, Lime Juice, Triple-Sec)...with names like that, who could resist?



After dinner, Mrs yflyer and I headed to one of the lounges to try one of Princess Lines' signature cocktails...

The Isaac was a cocktail created by actor Ted Lange, who played the bartender Isaac on the popular TV series "Love Boat" (1977-1986), which was set on a Princess Cruise Ship.





We both remembered watching this show many years ago, so it was nice to be reminded of those times.



After that, we headed up to the sun deck for one last stroll on the ship where we had spent the last 4 days...



A very clear, moonlit night...



Through the night, our vessel sailed smoothly south through the busy Malacca Straits towards Singapore...

[yflyer]

With Mrs yflyer and the kids still asleep, I got out of bed early on Friday morning to take a stroll around the ship as we docked in Singapore...



The air was warm and still in the pre-dawn hours...with the humidity in the Singapore air feeling reassuringly familiar...

Docking preparations were still underway...



I took a few pictures as dawn broke...



This vacation had come to an end too quickly, I thought...then again, it also felt good to be back home.

[yflyer]

The disembarkation process was well managed, with passports delivered to our room by our cabin steward early in the morning, with disembarkation staggered by different groups of passengers, with each group relaxing in a holding area, typically one of the onboard lounges, until it was time to disembark.

Overall, this was a wonderful cruise...the ship was comfortable, the catering and service superb, and everything was well organised and very efficiently run by the crew onboard. The number of shore stops was just right for this cruise duration too. We had a lot of fun stepping off the ship briefly at each of the stops to look around (And in my case, run around!).

I think our experience was just a first glimpse into the world of cruise holidays...there are so many other cruise ships and lines to try, and so many other destinations and itineraries to sample. A very positive first cruise experience for our family!



Thanks for reading!

[kapitan]

Guess you did not have a chance to visit the Bridge.... if there is a chance, I will bring you up to mine...



How do they build ship in MHI Nagasaki.... in blocks of course...



Almost completed new building afloat at dock in MHI, with the city of Nagasaki in the background.....

[CarbonMan]

Beautiful pics, yflyer, especially of the sunrise, but the pics of your bak kut teh lunch required me to pop a couple of lipitors!

Like Bangladesh, Mrs Carbonman has so far refused to get on a cruise - keeps saying we'll get on one only when we can't walk anymore. But your TR might just convince her to do a short one.

Kapitan: what vessel is that? Doesn't look like a VLCC.

[kapitan]

Kapitan: what vessel is that? Doesn't look like a VLCC.

She is a ro-ro vessel.

[CarbonMan]

She is a ro-ro vessel.

Ah, thanks. Have seen a couple of them recently at the Tanjong Pagar terminal, while driving along the MCE.

[kapitan]

Ah, thanks. Have seen a couple of them recently at the Tanjong Pagar terminal, while driving along the MCE.

The one berth at TP1 are from K line... but that's temporary, the terminal will be closed soon.

[CarbonMan]

The one berth at TP1 are from K line... but that's temporary, the terminal will be closed soon.

I gather that they're having a permanent place at Pasir Panjang terminal(?). Never knew Singapore had such a high volume of transshipment for vehicles. Sorry OT. Back to cruise ships!

[SQGamespeed]

Excellent TR, yflyer! And its great to see a different type of TR!

I have been on Royal Caribbean cruises twice, but never on Princess. Looks like Princess has a wonderful product that doesn't seem as flashy or over-the-top as Royal Caribbean has become.

I initially thought you would do a run on the ship itself.

[yflyer]

Guess you did not have a chance to visit the Bridge.... if there is a chance, I will bring you up to mine...

Very impressive Bridge, kapitan! Looks very high tech! If an opportunity came up to visit your Bridge, I would definitely take it up!

How do they build ship in MHI Nagasaki.... in blocks of course...

I never knew they built them that way. Massive shipyard...

Excellent TR, yflyer! And its great to see a different type of TR!

Thanks, SQGamespeed! Crossovers are always fun to do. There is a whole separate online world focused on cruises. Folks on those cruise-focused internet sites review cruises and cruise lines the way we do airlines here...

I have been on Royal Caribbean cruises twice, but never on Princess. Looks like Princess has a wonderful product that doesn't seem as flashy or over-the-top as Royal Caribbean has become.

I might try Royal Caribbean next, just to get an impression of how they do things and what the difference is compared to Princess. The Royal Caribbean ship docked next to ours when we embarked on the trip sure looked impressive. I was admiring their rock climbing wall from afar, which the Diamond Princesss did not have.

I initially thought you would do a run on the ship itself.

I was thinking of doing one! There was a recommended jogging/walking route onboard (The promenande deck has a path which runs along both sides of the ship and across the stern as well), but in the end I didn't have to as I did a couple of runs on shore.

Beautiful pics, yflyer, especially of the sunrise, but the pics of your bak kut teh lunch required me to pop a couple of lipitors!

Like Bangladesh, Mrs Carbonman has so far refused to get on a cruise - keeps saying we'll get on one only when we can't walk anymore. But your TR might just convince her to do a short one.

Thanks, CarbonMan! Lots of photo ops on the cruise! And yes, will have to run a lot to work off the calories from the bak kut teh!

Good luck persuading Mrs CarbonMan to try out a cruise!