From Monday 2 November 2026, every Melaka River Cruise passenger boards and gets off at Jeti Pengkalan Rama. Jeti Taman Rempah, the usual Spice Garden jetty on Jalan Tun Mutahir, closes for upgrading until 1 March 2027. The 45-minute loop still runs. You start it at a different pontoon.
PPSPM chief executive Shaharul Azuar Idris told MKN and Melaka Hari Ini on 20 October that the move keeps the boats in service while Taman Rempah is rebuilt. All naik and turun sit at Pengkalan Rama for those four months. He asked visitors to bear with the inconvenience and pointed people to 06-281 4322 and 06-281 4323. In his words, "Pemindahan sementara ini perlu bagi memberi ruang kepada kerja-kerja pengubahsuaian dan penambahbaikan di Jeti Taman Rempah, selain memastikan perkhidmatan Melaka River Cruise dapat diteruskan untuk kemudahan pengunjung."
Where Pengkalan Rama actually is
TourismMelaka's attraction page already lists the cruise at Experience Quayside, Jeti Pengkalan Rama, Jalan Merdeka, 75000 Melaka. That is the riverfront by Kampung Morten, not the Maritime Museum end. Hello1010, which sells the official e-ticket, pins the same jetty on Google Maps. Grab to Jeti Pengkalan Rama or Experience Quayside. Walking from Dutch Square, follow the river upstream toward Kampung Morten and look for the Melaka River Cruise signs.
Do not queue at Taman Rempah from 2 November. The operator homepage still names Spice Garden Jetty and Quayside together. The ticket reseller's how-to-get-there block still tells drivers to use the Taman Rempah car park even after the move date. MKN, Melaka Hari Ini, TourismMelaka's 21 October journal note, and the November Compass all override that copy. Taman Rempah stays on the hop-on hop-off map as station 1, with the free car park. It is not the 45-minute cruise boarding point while the works last.
What you pay in 2026
TourismMelaka's river guide is the fare table to use. The 45-minute River Cruise is RM35 for a local adult, RM25 for a local child, RM50 for a foreigner adult, and RM45 for a foreigner child. Older round-ups still quote RM38 and RM33 for tourists. Those numbers are stale.
The hop-on hop-off pass is a different ticket. One day is RM40 local adult, RM25 local child, RM55 foreigner adult, RM45 foreigner child. Three days are RM100, RM50, RM150 and RM120. Water taxi fares run by distance, RM1.50 to RM15.70 for an adult, and they are the same for locals and foreigners. Buy at the operating jetty. The guide still lists Expedia for advance booking. During the move, the jetty that matters for the loop is Pengkalan Rama.
Hours sit in two official places. The attraction page says daily 9am to 11:30pm, last boat 11pm. The river guide shortens that to 9am to 11pm. Plan around a last departure at 11pm. Boats are open-sided. Bring mosquito spray after dusk, especially in the Northeast Monsoon, when the water sits higher and the banks feel closer.
Why this week is messy
Monday 2 November is also the last day TourismMelaka's November Compass gives the ASEAN cultural exchange in Banda Hilir. If you do the palace-ground bazaar that afternoon and then want a sunset boat, you are already on the new jetty. Saturday 7 November is Melaka Bila Larut Malam. Compass still lists the river cruise among the RM10 night products. Boarding that night is Pengkalan Rama, not Taman Rempah.
November is usually one of Melaka's wettest months. Afternoon and evening downpours are the pattern, not all-day rain. The first reliable window is still the 9am boat, when the river is quieter. Sunset around 6pm to 7pm is the one that photographs well. After 8pm the LED banks take over.
The cruise itself has not changed. About 9 kilometres, past Dutch-era godowns, Kampung Morten timber houses, and the mural walls commissioned in the 2010s. You may draw the zebra Zoo Melaka boat or the newer tiger-striped one. Neither is guaranteed. Ask at the counter if that is why you came. For the longer orientation, the Melaka River Cruise guide still holds, with boarding updated to Pengkalan Rama.
Practical Details
- Dates: Boarding and disembarking at Jeti Pengkalan Rama from 2 November 2026 until 1 March 2027. Service keeps running.
- Time: TourismMelaka attraction page, daily 9am to 11:30pm, last boat 11pm. River guide lists 9am to 11pm.
- Venue: Experience Quayside, Jeti Pengkalan Rama, Jalan Merdeka, 75000 Melaka. Near Kampung Morten.
- Nearest transit: No MRT. Grab to Jeti Pengkalan Rama. Walk upstream from Dutch Square along the river toward Kampung Morten. Maps pin: Pengkalan Rama Jetty.
- Price: River Cruise local adult RM35, local child RM25, foreigner adult RM50, foreigner child RM45. HOHO 1-day RM40 / RM25 / RM55 / RM45. Duration 45 minutes, about 9km.
- Phone: PPSPM 06-281 4322 or 06-281 4323.
- Website: TourismMelaka river guide. Journal note: 21 October 2026. Operator: melakarivercruise.my. MKN: 20 October 2026.
