SAILAWAY TO BORACAY WITH 2GO
“We’re going to Boracay!” my partner Lou called out excitedly.
“Not interested,” dami work I told her as I had three events lined up the following week.
“We need the break!” she hollered back.
“Who invited us?” I asked
“Niel, for 2GO.”
“Then we’re travelling by sea– you like?”
“Oh.” she said as if being doused with ice water.
I thought that was the end of our conversation. Besides, who in their right mind would ride a ship for 9 hours when you can just fly there for less than an hour.
But Lou wasn’t done, turns out she was just thinking of an appeal.
“Its going to be a different adventure! Its going to be exciting!–was her comeback.
Nakasakay ka na ba sa barko?
“No, But there’s always a first time?” Sige na its going to be fun!”
“When do we leave?, I sighed, knowing it was going to be a losing battle anyway, as she was already bringing out our luggage bag.”
“Tomorrow, Saturday, and we’ll be back Monday!” How many shirts are you bringing?”
And that was that. An unplanned trip to Boracay that I know I was going to regret.
I was wrong.
Turns out, it was quite a short but fun trip. And sailing, seafaring, or getting shipped to Boracay, is one adventure you really have to experience!
DAY 1: NOVALICHES –LUNETA –BATANGAS–CATICLAN
Our meeting place was the 2GoHub in Luneta. So I took the LRT from Roosevelt to UN Avenue and got a taxi to drop me off at the Rizal Monument. The place isn’t hard to find. If you are facing Rizal just follow the pathway to your left (Rizal’s right) and you’ll find it in about 100 meters or so. The 2GOHub is also open for events but you can go directly to the Batangas Port (the 2GoHub I was told was only for special arrangements, or group travel)
We were a group of 14, from online and print media plus the guys from ID8 and Sir Ish of 2Go (who I thought was a bit suplado but turns out to be one of the most down to earth and accommodating people I’ve met). He became my seatmate at the bus and we swapped stories for the duration of our 3 hour trip to Batangas.
For those who dont know me, I love bus rides (sometimes even more than the trip itself) so I was okay with the trip to Batangas besides its a great way to meet new people and I made 1 new friend because of the long trip.
Saturday traffic was bad and we barely made the 9pm boarding time. Sir Ish told me that if it wasn’t a media trip and he hadn’t informed the captain in advance, the ship would have left us already as they are following a very strict schedule.
So that’s one good thing about taking 2GO, they leave on time and delays are very minimal unlike when you are in the airport and your flight could be delayed for hours. At 2GO even 15 minutes late is unacceptable.
We were boarding the MV St. Ignatius of Loyola which departs at 9pm daily from Batangas Port.
Security was tight there were guard dogs who checked our luggage, which unlike in the plane where you are limited to the bags you can carry on board, its a different story when you are riding a ship. You can bring a lot of luggage without the need of having to check them in (which I really hate). I’ve had the unfortunate experience of having my bag damaged, and off loaded to a different destination, (good thing it didn’t get lost), and all I got was an apology and a lame excuse about air pressure.
At 2GO you get to spend the entire trip with your bags so its really up to you to take care of them.
After the security check we boarded the ship and gathered at the lobby where we were assigned different rooms. If you are in a group of four, its best to reserve a cabin or even the stateroom to make your trip more enjoyable and secure. But if you are really up for an adventure, there are common bunks available and large air conditioned rooms which are a lot cheaper.
Upon checking their website (www.travel2Go.com.ph) I found out that the cheapest Super Value Class ticket is just Php 623.21; Tourist Class is Php 757.14, while a cabin for 4 is priced Php 1,032.68. Sir Ish said you can book as early as a few months to reserve the rooms as there are just a few available.
There was a bit of a jolt which we figured were part of the final preparations and after leaving our bags in the cabin we headed to the HORIZON Cafe for dinner.
The tickets already include meals but if you forgot to include them you can buy from the Horizon Cafe, the prices are pretty much what you’d expect, but are not too expensive. There are several dishes you could choose from, chicken, pork, beef, fish and vegetables, soup, rice and some desserts. If you want something heavy I suggest you buy first before you board. But compared to airline meals, I prefer the choices here at Horizon (plus its a lot cheaper).
While having dinner one of hour companions asked if we’ve already left the port, and we were all surprised when Sir Ish told us that we’ve been already at sea for the past hour. Maybe its because of the bonamine I took, but its not as worse as you’d think. As they say it was really “smooth sailing.”
After dinner it was time to socialize and party! The Island Fiesta Bar serves a lot of drinks, and it is here where you can meet a lot of new people for a night of live entertainment, music and more drinks!
Check out the highlights of Day 1:
But since was in “Lolo” mode, we decided to call it a night at 11:30pm. Lou took the top bed as I couldnt climb the ladder 😀 The bed was more comfortable that I expect and the linen? They really smelled nice and clean! There was a night lamp and curtain to give you a bit of privacy. The room had an aircon, TV, and bathroom where you can take a bath.
Believe it or not I got better sleep on the ship than in my own room for the past few days. I think I slept like a baby and snored like a beast and the natural motion of the sea really lulled me into deep sleep.
DAY 2 BORACAY:
We woke up at 5 am for breakfast and to get some sunrise photos. We were expected to dock at Caticlan at 6am.
Breakfast at the Horizon was again good. We had the choice of corned beef, longganisa and I think tapa with rice and egg, plus Spam!
At about a little past 6am we were disembarking MV St. Ignatius for our transfer to Boracay. We arrived at Casa Pilar at around 7:30 and since we were still early we had to wait for our rooms.
So we just dropped off our luggage and headed to Real Coffee for our second breakfast. See thats another advantage of arriving early-there are less people on the beach so its perfect for that early swim or if you just want to get some sun–or explore the Island.
Check out the video of our second day in Boracay where we got to eat at the Boracay Toilet, Tour the Oceanarium at Crown Regency and meet some mermaids, and have dinner by the beach at the Crown Regency Buffet.
DAY 3: CAPTAIN’S VISIT AND SAILING BACK HOME:
If there was one thing I didn’t like about the entire trip, its waking up early. Since we had to board the ship by 8am, we had to be on our way by 6:30am. The Caticlan port can get a bit crowded so you have to be early or you might miss your schedule.
This time we were the first passengers to board, which was good since we were going to pay a courtesy call to the ship captain in the afternoon.
After settling in our cabins we decided to catch some sleep again. We woke up just in time for lunch and readied ourselves to meet the Captain.
Capt. Bobby Montayre has been the commanding the MV St. Ignatius of Loyola for five years, he said despite the horror stories before, he considers seafaring, or riding a ship still safer that an airplane. He also told us a lot of new safety precautions implemented by MARINA to ensure the safety of the riding public. Unlike before he said, all ships are not allowed to sail if theres a storm warning even if its just signal No. 1. He also debunked the perception of overloading as it is his responsibility to check the entire ship manifest to avoid and incident. “Wala nang chance passenger ngayon’ kasi all 2Go Travel passenger ships have a computerized ticketing system and strict security measures in place.
I asked him why people should try sea travel, and his answer was simple, “Its a different experience, you are more relaxed when you travel by sea, you can walk around and meet new people, and are not confined in your seat, plus its cheaper!”
Sir Ish told me that they often have all in promos which already includes the fare meals and even accommodations to Boracay and other destinations, especially during LaBoracay Weekend.
“During that time we transform into a party ship, so even before you reach Boracay, you can already party as soon as you board, its definitely a once in a lifetime experience! And if you just want to escape for the weekend, you can leave Friday after office, be in Boracay by Saturday and enjoy the entire day and be back Sunday night!”
Check Day 3: Way Back Home and our ship tour!
So there you go, our unplanned Boracay weekend which turned out to be more memorable than some of the ones we prepared for, for months. I’d definitely recommend riding the 2GO vessels, its safe, comfortable, relaxing (since you have more time to sleep!) and like I said meeting new people is an adventure in itself!
Book your tickets now at http://travel.2go.com.ph/eTicket/
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