Traveling by (overnight) boat in the Philippines

By boat or by plane?

Traveling by plane in the Philippines isn’t as expensive as in other countries. Most of the locals also wait for Piso fares (literally P1 plus P299 for taxes and extra charges) or promo fares. The airlines usually offer these during the holidays or when they have a new route. If you’re lucky enough, this is a cheaper, more convenient and faster way of traveling within the Philippine archipelago. Promo fares are usually bought months or even a year before sales period, but people still buy tickets even if they can’t use it, just because it’s super cheap.

If you’re like me who wants to try something different and long for adventure, maybe you can try traveling by overnight boat instead of flying. For my trip to Siargao, I decided to take an overnight boat from Cebu to Surigao (7pm - 7am) then a ferry from Surigao to Siargao. This was my first time on an overnight boat and I was pretty excited. I would meet new people and also have time to finish my blog about Africa.

For boat sched click here:
cebu-siargao boat schedule

I made a mistake by taking the boat to Surigao on a Saturday and the boat to Cebu on a Friday. The big and fun boat from Cebu - Surigao is on MWF and from Surigao - Cebu is on TThS. So on both trips I was on a small boring boat.

This is it pancit!

I booked a bed in tourist class (with aircondition). It costs P1025 from Cebu to Surigao and P100 (this is a promo fare - regular fare is P200-250) from Surigao to Siargao. To me it’s not really cheap, especially if you know about Piso flights and promo fares. This trip was actually planned just a month ago and by that time the plane fares were a bit more expensive than taking the boat. I kept hoping for a miracle that the prices would go down but it remained the same with AT LEAST P2700 from Cebu to Siargao then P3187 from Siargao to Cebu. If you are really on a tight budget, you can get the economy class (no A/C) on the boat and it’s only P850 one way. I actually saw more foreigners preferred the economy class.

tourist class

As soon as I went in tourist class I felt dizzy. It is on the 3^rd deck from the top and the A/C was making me dizzy. I sat down for awhile and eventually got used to it. The air outside actually feels better but it can also get really hot and sticky. I like having the option to lay in my bed with A/C and step outside for fresh air. I am actually writing this blog on the ship, outside tourist class, next to the open water. The air feels good right now.

Another plus with tourist class is that they give you a bed sheet and a blanket while economy doesn’t. Not sure how often they clean the bedding though.

 

clean bathroom

I didn’t get to meet new people like I hoped I would. The TV is (still) on and people are busy either watching TV or sleeping now (it’s currently 10:30pm). They turned off the TV when I went back in the room (around 11:15pm). One thing I don’t like about tourist class is that it’s a small room and the TV is still on at this hour, so it’s pretty noisy. I don’t usually sleep early but if I did I wouldn’t want the TV to be on while I’m sleeping. It is a bit noisy in there. Aside from the TV, some people are snoring and a child is crying. Speaking of distractions, all the lights are still on at this hour, so if you can’t sleep with the lights on, make sure you have an eye mask - maybe add earplugs too for the loud snoring.

Because I’m outside right now, I walked around and noticed that

economy class

the TV outside is off but the ship’s engine/machinery is very noisy. If you booked in economy class, your bed can be close to the machine or far from it, so the noise depends on where your bed is located. The open air is nice with the wind keeping you from getting hot, but it also depends on where your bed is located. While waiting for the ship to sail, it was super humid and very uncomfortable in economy class. There are also more bunkbeds outside, therefore more people snoring and making noise.

unfortunately the water (by the pier) in the Philippines is full of garbage
i hope we start doing something about it

Would I do this again?

 Maybe - if I’m on a budget and plane tickets are too expensive. Also, if I have time to spare.

Did I enjoy or regret taking the boat instead of flying?

I don’t regret it since I’m saving at least P3000 by taking the boat. I’m also currently unemployed so I need to save my money and I have time to spare.

I wouldn’t say I enjoy being on this boat. Maybe I would’ve if I got on the big boat. I heard good reviews from friends who did Cebu - Surigao on the big boat. Nevertheless, I feel like I’m doing things I would love to do but don’t usually do because of my access to internet at home. If I’m at home, I would probably be watching something on Netflix with my family or chatting with friends on wechat/messenger. Because I don’t have access to internet, I can write this blog, read a book, sort through pictures and all of that.

food store on the boat

view from the girl's bathroom

So that’s all I can say about traveling by overnight boat in the Philippines. I hope this blog helped you decide whether to travel by boat or by plane on your trip around the Philippines. Whatever you decide, the Philippines is full of beautiful sceneries, beautiful people and good food. I’m sure you’ll love traveling around this archipelago!

A bit of trivia for those who don’t already know: The Philippine archipelago is composed of 7,641 islands! Isn’t that amazing!?