Eastern & Oriental Express: Essence of Malaysia (Tour code: 12966)

The atmosphere on board is one of relaxed refinement. During the day dress for relaxed comfort for onboard the train and when embarking on excursions. It is recommended to wear light cotton clothing for sightseeing. Please respect local cultures by wearing appropriate clothing when visiting religious sites. Evenings call for smart-casual attire with a touch of understated elegance and guests are suggested to wear a jacket or dress equivalent for dinner. Please refrain from wearing jeans or trainers.

Complimentary tea and coffee are available at all times. A selection of wines, spirits and local beers can also be served. Premium drinks and drinks served to your cabin will incur an additional charge. Bar drinks may be ordered in the Observation Car, the Bar Car, or served in your cabin by your steward. The Bar Car stays open, but drinks service may be temporarily suspended at the Singaporean/Malaysian border for Customs formalities or at the Train Manager’s discretion.

In order to comfortably accommodate all passengers, meals have multiple seating times. Preferences for seating times can be noted in advance, however reservations will be confirmed once on board.

Provided a detailed request has been made at time of booking – special dietary requirements, such as vegetarian and vegan, can be arranged. If a special request has not been made, the chefs will endeavour to prepare a dish with the ingredients available on board.

Gratuities for staff and guides are at the passenger’s discretion.

There is a centrally controlled cooling system on board, however individual cabins are not temperature controlled separately with cooling. Guests can control the flow and volume of cooled air into their cabins by opening or closing a vent.

Space constraints require that luggage is limited, per passenger, to one 30kg piece of hand luggage for Pullman and State compartments passengers. Guests travelling in the Presidential Suite are allowed to bring one 30kg luggage, plus one hand luggage (to be placed in your cabin). Please keep your tickets, passports and any medication with you; do not pack them in your through or compartment luggage. Please note, durian fruit must not be taken on board. We recommend that you label your luggage with a contact address, your hotel and your destination. It will be taken care of as follows:

Through luggage:
We suggest that items not required for your journey are packed separately in a sturdy case. At check-in, this luggage will be labelled by E&O staff, after which it will not normally be accessible until you reach your destination. Ideally, large and/or hard cases should be checked in as through luggage.

Compartment luggage:
This should contain clothing and items you need during your journey. When you plan your luggage, please bear in mind that storage space is limited. There is a luggage rack, plus an additional storage cupboard with hangers. One or two soft-sided suit carriers or similar can be comfortably accommodated in each compartment.

Hand luggage:
Your passport, tickets, jewellery, money, camera, fragile items and any medication should be kept in your hand luggage and not checked in. We advise that you take out insurance to cover any loss or damage to your luggage and recommend that all valuable items are kept in your cabin’s safe.

During your journey, staff and agents of Eastern & Oriental Express will help facilitate border formalities. You will be required to provide relevant information and hand over your passport at the appropriate times. Please note, however, that it is the responsibility of each individual passenger to ensure that they are in possession of the necessary and valid documentation. Eastern & Oriental Express assumes no responsibility for the consequences of any failure to comply.

At the Singaporean/Malaysian Customs and Immigration facility, the Eastern & Oriental train stops, and passengers must disembark and pass-through Customs and Immigration. Passengers must take all their hand baggage with them while their main luggage is removed for security screening procedures. Please ensure you allow sufficient time for these formalities when organising your onward arrangements.

Passport and customs formalities take place at the border between Singapore and Malaysia. At Woodlands Checkpoint, passengers will clear the Singaporean exit by themselves. After you clear both immigration procedures, cabin stewards will collect passengers’ passports and process the Malaysian Immigration formalities before returning them. On the way back, passports will be collected again to process the Malaysian Immigration formalities, before being returned to the passengers. Finally, passengers will cross the Singaporean border by themselves, once again.

The Eastern & Oriental Express train features elegant private cabins. All are fully air-conditioned with ensuite shower, toilet, hairdryer and a personal safe. Sockets are suitable for 3-pin UK standard plugs (220 volts).

During the day, berths — or single beds — are converted into comfortable seating.

Pullman Single Cabins. Daytime seating converts at night to a single bed at floor level. Dimensions are 5 sq metres.

Pullman Cabins. Daytime seating converts to upper and lower berths at night. Dimensions are 5.8 sq metres.

State Cabins. Daytime seating converts to two single beds at floor level at night. Dimensions are 7.8 sq metres.

Presidential Suites. Daytime seating converts to two single beds at floor level at night. There is ample room to entertain one or two of your fellow guests in a daytime configuration. Suites also feature a complimentary minibar, CD player and an adaptor for your personal iPod/MP3 player. Dimensions are 11.6 sq metres.

In keeping with indoor air quality regulations in the region, and as a courtesy to fellow travellers, smoking is not permitted throughout the air-conditioned carriages of the train. However, guests may smoke in the open-deck area of the Observation Car.

As with all holidays and trips abroad, we strongly recommend that you have travel insurance. Please consult with our agents at time of booking and we can assist you with this.