Landing at Kuala Lumpur International Airport with 4 checked bags, 4 carryons, a car seat, and a baby carrier (and it's accompanying baby), I was looking for a minimum-stress solution to get my family to our hotel in KLCC. There are many websites to pre-book a taxi or just get one at the airport, but I knew our suitcases wouldn't fit in a normal taxi. You can also upgrade to a MPV or van for a significant added cost, but I still wasn't sure if I wanted to roll the dice on what kind of taxi we'd get and how helpful the driver would be with the bags and allowing the carseat to be installed. Plus, it still seemed like a downside to put up with potential traffic jams or crazy driving after a long flight. So, I settled on KLIA express train's VIP service, in which you are met at the baggage claim, loaded onto the 28 minute express train to KL Sentral, and then put in a private car to your hotel.
Even though the website (https://www.vipservice.com.my) has a pretty easy online booking feature, I decided to call to make sure they could accomodate all of our accessories. It proved to be a difficult task to spell my name to the operator, but then he assured me they could handle my bags and confirmed my reservation.
Arriving at the airport after a 12 hour flight with baby and wife, we stumbled our way past immigration (no waiting and no visa required!) and to the baggage claim. At the entrance to the baggage hall was a big sign with my name, albeit with a few extra vowels and letter substitutions thanks to the earlier telephone exchange. I was taken to the official desk and paid with my credit card (RM 170 for two adults, baby was free) while my wife was taken with two attendants and a trolley to the baggage belt. At the desk they confirmed I would get a big MPV for all our bags at KL sentral station. I then met up with my wife again who had already found all of the bags, and we were off with our two attendants to the train.
We had just missed the previous train (which run every 20 minutes on the weekend), so we sat to wait while the attendants set our bags on a less-used portion of the platform, ready to load. The train actually arrived 10 minutes before departure so we boarded and got to wait in the comfortable air conditioned car, which we practically got to ourselves. Our bags were loaded right next to where we sat, and our two attendants went to the other corner of the car for the ride. The 28 minute journey was pleasant and easy, just as I had hoped, and before long the Petronas towers came into view and we pulled into the station.
KL Sentral station was quiet on this holiday weekend, and our attendants quickly unloaded our bags onto another trolley which was available at the station. We were then taken to our waiting car (a new-ish Ssangyong Stavic MPV). After loading the bags while I installed the car seat, our attendants disappeared with a quick wave. The driver then did futz about for about 5 minutes, but then we were off, where he very carefully drove the 10 minutes to our hotel. At the hotel the driver and porters unloaded all the bags, so I made the transit without lugging any of our 250 lbs myself!
In summary, I was very pleased with the service. The professionalism, communication, and efficiency really made the end of a long journey as stress-free as possible. Sure RM 170 is a bit more than a taxi, but not very much more than a MPV or van, for a very reliable service.
Even though the website (https://www.vipservice.com.my) has a pretty easy online booking feature, I decided to call to make sure they could accomodate all of our accessories. It proved to be a difficult task to spell my name to the operator, but then he assured me they could handle my bags and confirmed my reservation.
Arriving at the airport after a 12 hour flight with baby and wife, we stumbled our way past immigration (no waiting and no visa required!) and to the baggage claim. At the entrance to the baggage hall was a big sign with my name, albeit with a few extra vowels and letter substitutions thanks to the earlier telephone exchange. I was taken to the official desk and paid with my credit card (RM 170 for two adults, baby was free) while my wife was taken with two attendants and a trolley to the baggage belt. At the desk they confirmed I would get a big MPV for all our bags at KL sentral station. I then met up with my wife again who had already found all of the bags, and we were off with our two attendants to the train.
We had just missed the previous train (which run every 20 minutes on the weekend), so we sat to wait while the attendants set our bags on a less-used portion of the platform, ready to load. The train actually arrived 10 minutes before departure so we boarded and got to wait in the comfortable air conditioned car, which we practically got to ourselves. Our bags were loaded right next to where we sat, and our two attendants went to the other corner of the car for the ride. The 28 minute journey was pleasant and easy, just as I had hoped, and before long the Petronas towers came into view and we pulled into the station.
KL Sentral station was quiet on this holiday weekend, and our attendants quickly unloaded our bags onto another trolley which was available at the station. We were then taken to our waiting car (a new-ish Ssangyong Stavic MPV). After loading the bags while I installed the car seat, our attendants disappeared with a quick wave. The driver then did futz about for about 5 minutes, but then we were off, where he very carefully drove the 10 minutes to our hotel. At the hotel the driver and porters unloaded all the bags, so I made the transit without lugging any of our 250 lbs myself!
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| Ssangyong Stavic - Doesn't win any prizes for looks, but big and comfortable enough |
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