Ferry Travel To Southern Leyte

[northtoalaska]

hello,

 

starting from cebu i'll be visiting southern leyte next february. after looking on-line i see the only ferry schedules seem to operate at night. PI ferries being what they are (an unfortunate timely example having just occurred in the waters by cebu.) i'm not going to be traveling at night. i've traveled the fast ferries to/from cebu/ormoc in the past during the daytime hours. currently i'm thinking of getting to southern leyte by first heading to ormoc on one of the fast ferries and then hiring a driver to take me south ('course, road travel has its own risk...).

 

am i missing something? are there daytime ferries from cebu to southern leyte?

 

thanks much.

[Markham]

As a former merchant navy officer I would strongly advise you to fly. Philippine ferries are not a safe means of transport, in my view. They are frequently overloaded, cargo ill-secured and their passenger manifests are often incomplete - the ferry that sank last night off Cebu was carrying around 200 passengers over and above its manifest total. Almost all the ferries were built for Japanese coastal waters and additional generators and (industrial size) air-conditioning units have been installed high above the water line which raises the centre of gravity (thereby reducing the "righting moment") and makes them somewhat less stable: some even have additional passenger decks installed.

Edited August 17, 2013 by Markham

[Old55]

We have taken the fast craft from Cebu City to Southern Leyte many times the past 14 years. Frankly I agree with Markham the safest transportation to Leyte is PAL or Cebu Pacific in that order. If you still want to take the fast craft it goes to Ormoc a little over two hours trip. However its a long drive down to the Sogod Bay area. The airport is located at Tacloban again a long drive down to the Sogod Bay area.

Not sure your exact destination but I guess you know Southern Leyte is amazing.

[Thomas]

am i missing something? are there daytime ferries from cebu to southern leyte?

There are daytime ferries from Cebu to NORTH side of Bohol. I don't know, but I would be suprised if there are no ferries from there to southern Leyte, because it's close. (E g Hilongos or Maasin.)

 

Yes, many of the ferries are dangerous,

but Europe DON'T find ANY of the Philippine flight companies having OK safety either...  :)

[Markham]

Yes, many of the ferries are dangerous, but Europe DON'T find ANY of the Philippine flight companies having OK safety either... :)

You're a bit behind the times! PAL - and only PAL - is now permitted to fly to Europe.

[i am bob]

Yes, many of the ferries are dangerous, but Europe DON'T find ANY of the Philippine flight companies having OK safety either... :)

You're a bit behind the times! PAL - and only PAL - is now permitted to fly to Europe.

Yes but we still aren't sure if they are allowed to fly back out again... :)

[northtoalaska]

Thanks all for the input.

 

The last time I went from Cebu to Ormoc I took the "SuperCat". Its a much smaller craft than some of the other ferries I've seen. I made sure to wait for good weather and only travelled in the day time. Nonetheless, its always telling that they begin the safety briefing with a prayer! LOL.

 

In any event, it seemed a relatively safe operation—smaller craft, low center of gravity, not over-crowded. I was hoping there was something similar to that heading to southern Leyte, but I have not been able to find one.

 

Old55—we corresponded a couple years ago. You were able to help me find the location of a photograph my father had taken during WW2. As it, amazingly enough, turned out, I believe you told me it was your wife's great grandmother's mausoleum in Malitbog. I've been saving the pesos since then and this will be my journey to that location.

 

Thanks again.

 

-nta

[Old55]

Now I remember!

Please keep us posted on your adventures!

The Escano family Mausoleum in Malitbog is the one your father visited. Feel free to PM me to do with Malitbog.

[Markham]

 

 

Yes, many of the ferries are dangerous, but Europe DON'T find ANY of the Philippine flight companies having OK safety either... :)

You're a bit behind the times! PAL - and only PAL - is now permitted to fly to Europe.

Yes but we still aren't sure if they are allowed to fly back out again... :)

 

Well they certainly won't be walking back!

[Medic Mike]

As a former merchant navy officer I would strongly advise you to fly. Philippine ferries are not a safe means of transport, in my view. They are frequently overloaded, cargo ill-secured and their passenger manifests are often incomplete - the ferry that sank last night off Cebu was carrying around 200 passengers over and above its manifest total. Almost all the ferries were built for Japanese coastal waters and additional generators and (industrial size) air-conditioning units have been installed high above the water line which raises the centre of gravity (thereby reducing the "righting moment") and makes them somewhat less stable: some even have additional passenger decks installed.

Are there any ferries that are at least passable by your standards for trip from Cebu to Bohol?