Ferry from Cebu to Leyte

I wanted to visit an island I had never visited before in the Philippines. I knew the island of Leyte would afford the opportunity to take a nice ferry ride from Cebu, an easy to access city, so with no real itinerary I was off.

I booked the faster Supercat ferry which would complete the trip in just 3 hours. I was to leave at 9 am and arrive at noon. I booked and prepaid the trip online.

However, when I arrived at the terminal dock I was informed the ferry was cancelled due to rough seas. Well, I was already there and anxious to leave, so I asked for alternatives. I was a bit peeved I was given no warning of the cancellation but they explained it was a last minute decision. I was directed to the competition, Ocean Jet, which was leaving at 9:40 am and had not cancelled.

I quickly scrambled to secure a new ticket and didn't have time to get a refund at the Supercat ferry window. I figured I would just dispute the charge on my credit card later

After a long wait in the Ocean Jet line, I finally secured my ticket. They sold economy class, tourist class, and first class tickets. The economy tickets sold for about $22 and the first class for $32. Well for $10 incremental I decided to put my butt in a first class seat. I'm glad I did.

The first class section was fully enclosed with comfortable seats as opposed to the open air lawn chairs in economy. And, it was not nearly as full either. The above picture was taken upon boarding where you see only one other person. More entered later but it was probably only 10% or so full.

One thing I found strange about the trip is absolutely no refreshments were offered. No water, snacks, nothing! How could they not capitalize on a captive audience to make some money? At least I knew that from reading on-line reviews prior to boarding, so I came prepared.

But on this voyage I think it was better not to eat. The sea was rough and it became clear why the other ferry cancelled. This was one very turbulent ride!

But it didn't start that way:

It started in very calm waters. In fact, so calm that even kayaks were traveling in it.

But once we got away from shore into the open sea, it got much rougher.

It got so violent out there that people behind me were continually vomiting. It was really quite disgusting. I was happy to be in first class with so fewer people and nobody near me. I'm not sure I could have handled people right beside me losing it. Anyway, I'm glad I'm not prone to seasickness as I am unable to vomit due to an operation I had.

We did arrive in Ormoc, albeit about 30 minutes late.

I'm happy that ride was over!

Tomorrow I will post on my return trip to Cebu on the ferry and my idiotic blunder!