Roble Shipping

Roble Shipping - Cebu to Samar The easiest way to get from Cebu City to Catbalogan in Samar is to take the overnight Roble Shipping ferry the "Ormoc Stars". I brought along a motorcycle so I got the tickets the day before from their office at the pier in Cebu to get a bill of lading and make sure that there were no problems. The economy fare is 650 pesos per person and it cost me 750 pesos plus port fees for the bike. A processing fee of 130 pesos and a terminal fee of 50 pesos was paid at the port in Cebu. A fee of 150 pesos plus a terminal fee of 19 pesos was paid at the pier in Catbalogan. The exchange rate for the US dollar is right at 44 pesos to the dollar so the frieght costs were around 25 dollars US. Travel in the Philippines by boat is a great way to go if you enjoy being on the water. If you take these overnight ferries you save on a nights lodging as well. Many of the ships used are second hand Japanese ferries that have been reconditioned. They're not pristine but they get the job done. The Ormoc Stars wasn't much to look at but it is a speedy little boat and my friend was impressed with the cleanliness of the head, or cr, or toilet. This ship has a narrow beam or width so it would probably rock back and forth in a rough sea but it was flat calm on our trip and we made good time. We left Cebu City around 9pm on Thurs and got to Catbalogan around 6:30am. It took a half hour or son to clear the port authority and then we were off. Downtown Catbalogan is very congested with pedal powered tricycles and other vehicles so it doesn't pay to be in a hurry. Most drivers never stop, they just time their merging so everyone stays on the move. It takes a bit of getting used to and is probably not a good place to learn how to drive. It takes a surprising amount of concentration. Roble shipping makes one trip a week between Cebu City and Catbalogan. They leave Cebu Thursday night and return Friday night. Samar itself is a neat place to visit but there are no facilities for mass tourism so you have to be prepared to lay a lot of the groundwork yourself. Roble shipping - update Going from Catbalogan to Cebu The economy fare was 650 pesos but the motorbike fare was 1050 pesos. That is 300 more than it cost the other way but mu port fees were less so it evened out I guess. This is the Roble office - open on Fridays only. The office doesn't issue a bill of lading. You must obtain that from the ship's officer. The Philippine Navy bases a patrol boat in Catbalogan. The port of Catbalogan has character. For me, it's fun to travel by ship. The dock workers are a friendly lot. I had to drive my bike up the plank. It was a tight squeeze getting through the companionway but I knew it would fit because I had squeezed through it before. My pals send me off! The one on the right is my darling. I arrived in Cebu around 5 am on Sat morning. It is perfect because the traffic is light at that time, so I just went straight down to see my friends in Moalboal 2 hours down the trail.  Sept 2008 update Cebu to Catbalogan using Roble Shipping Roble used to have an office at pier 3 but there is some renovation going on there. Head to the main office two lights up the harbor road and take a left. Passenger-only tickets can still be purchased at the pier, but a bill of lading will have to come from the office. If you are taking a vehicle or commercial goods you will need the bill of lading. It is required if taking personal goods purchased new (still in the carton) ie. Tv's, refrigerators, boxes of food etc. Port tax has to be paid. On a TV I paid around 300 pesos tax plus port tariffs. On my last trip there were only around 20 passengers and all the bunks on the lower level were loaded with cargo. I used my own line for lashing because we were on the southern edge of typhoon Olaf and they didn't have any extra of their own. Roble does a fairly good job securing their cargo. Some operators don't! The ticket from Cebu was 650 pass economy and 750 for the bike. With taxes and paperwork fees it comes to around 1,050 pesos for the bike each way. For some reason it costs over 1050 pesos to Cebu but 750 the other way. What a slippery mess this cargo of margarine would make if it broke free. They lashed it down for the journey before we left. We ran into a little rough weather but it wasn't too bad. It's invigorating for me to be in rough seas. We missed most of the storm but there was still a good swell here in Catbalogan. The ship leaves every Thurs night from Cebu to Catbalogan and returns The following day 8pm Fri Night. Both trips are overnight and bunks are included with the ticket. Roble Shipping Schedule Check local papers for updates and changes. Cebu to Hilongos 4:30pm except Thurs - My Ormoc Star 8:50pm daily - My Beautiful Stars Hilongos to Cebu 11:00am daily - My Beautiful Stars 10:30pm except Thurs - My Ormoc Star Cebu to Ormoc 10:00pm daily - My Wonderful Stars Ormoc to Cebu 11:00am daily - My Wonderful Stars Cebu to Catbalogan 8:00pm every Thursday - My Ormoc Stars Catbalogan to Cebu 8:00pm every Friday - My Ormoc Stars 2008    www.dutchpickle.com

 

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