RODNEY AND ARLYN'S RETIREMENT

March 8th, 2025

Using EVA Airways website, I booked one-way tickets for Arlyn and I to fly from San Francisco, CA to Cebu Mactan airport.

Itinerary

Flight Number	Departure Date/Time	Departure Airport	Arrival Date/Time	Arrival Airport	Duration
EVA BR27	April 3, 2025 00:25 AM	San Francisco International Airport (SFO) Terminal 1	April 4, 2025 05:15 AM	Taiwan Taoyuan International (TPE) Terminal 2	13h 50m
Layover					2h 45m
EVA BR281	April 4, 2025 08:00 AM	Taiwan Taoyuan International (TPE) Terminal 2	April 4, 2025 10:50 AM	Cebu International (CEB) Terminal 2	2h 55m
Total					19h 30m

I made reservations at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Sacramento Airport located in Woodland, CA. The reservation was for March 29th to April 2nd, 2025. The estimated amount for the stay was $649.60.

Payee	Item	Cost	Form of Payment
EVA Air	One-way tickets to Cebu	$1,024.40	Credit
Total

March 12th, 2025

We needed some lodging somewhere in Cebu when we landed on April 4th. Through Airbnb, I found a nice studio condominium at the Tambuli Seaside Living Resort. I booked it for a full month, April 4th to May 4th. The cost was $1,143.33.

The following map is of Mactan and Cebu City. It highlights the location of our new home once we arrive.

March 29th, 2025

We spent the last night in our home in Sacramento on March 28th. Most of the furniture and belongings had been prepared for storage and we were at the point where we could no longer remain in the house.

We took our some packed bags and headed over to the Marriott Fairfield Inn & Suites Sacramento Airport in Woodland, California.

Normally, the Immaculate Star's VIP room costs ₱3,630.00. When a purchase is made to ship a vehicle, it includes a ₱600.00 credit for the driver to stay in Economy class for the Cebu City to Ormoc City run. Since we chose the VIP room, the ₱600.00 credit was applied to the ₱3,630.00 price, resulting in the ₱3,030.00 cost.

We were advised to be at the pier three hours prior to departure time.

Terminal and Wharfage Fees

While we were at the Roble ticketing office, we learned that we would need to pay for a terminal fee and wharfage fee. We were instructed to visit the Cebu City Pier 3 Terminal Building located at the corner of Quezon Blvd and V. Sotto Street (Google Plus Code: 7WX6+255 Cebu City, Cebu). These fees can be paid for days before the actual departure date.

A port terminal fee is a charge paid by passengers for using port facilities. It is a fee for the passenger terminal.

A wharfage fee is a charge for using a port's wharf or dock to load or unload cargo from a vessel. This fee is levied by port authorities or terminal operators and is typically calculated based on the weight or volume of the cargo to cover the costs of maintaining and operating port infrastructure.

We found a parking space on V. Sotto Street where some kids were assisting drivers with locating parking spaces.

Payee	Item	Cost	Form of Payment
Roble Shipping	Freight cost for Fortuner	₱8,484.00	Debit
Roble Shipping	VIP Room	₱3,030.00	Debit
Cebu Port Authority	Wharfage Fee	₱168.00	Cash
Cebu Port Authority	Terminal Fee	₱50.00	Cash
Kids	Parking	₱30.00	Cash
Total		₱11,762.00

April 28th, 2025

We loaded our gear into the Fortuner at the Tambuli Seaside Living Condominiums at 6:30 PM. Once loaded, we drove to the Cebu City Pier 3 Terminal building, arriving at around 7:30 PM. At Pier 3, we were directed to drive to Pier 4 to acquire a stamp from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

You need a stamp from the Coast Guard when using a roll-on/roll-off, or Ro-Ro, vessel in the Philippines to verify that your vehicle's documents (i.e., Original Receipt and Certificate of Registration) are legitimate and that the journey is safe. This stamp is part of the process to ensure compliance with maritime laws and to get clearance for boarding, as the Coast Guard has the authority to enforce laws on the water and inspect vessels for safety and legal requirements.

The Coast Guard station building is located at 8W27+RHH Cebu City, Cebu, near the Pier 4 Cebu City Port Authority building. Upon arriving at the Coast Guard station, Arlyn visited with the Coast Guard to receive the required stamp on our ticket. There was no charge for this stamp.

Now that we had the required Coast Guard stamp, we drove through the Pier 4 gate. We were stopped by a K-9 unit that randomly selected our vehicle for an inspection. We complied with their instructions. We had plenty of time and wanted to be cooperative. After about 10 minutes of having their dog check our vehicle and talking with their handlers, we were back in our car and driving towards the Immaculate Star.

The ship was docked a short distance from the gate. We were instructed by the ship's quartermaster to standby while the larger semi trucks were loaded. We waited in our car for about one hour. We were then given the all-clear to load the Fortuner onto the ferry.

We were told to back onto the ferry. This can be a little nerve wracking as I have never backed from a solid dock to a floating ship. Once on the ferry, there are attendants that assist the driver with locating a suitable parking place. Once we were parked, the attendants proceeded with choking the wheels. We grabbed our backpacks and small overnight suitcase. We climbed some very narrow, steep stairs to the appropriate deck. We were directed to the front of the ship in an air-conditioned section. We asked where our cabin was located. They escorted us to our cabin, the VIP cabin.

The cabin's key is provided to you when you surrender a piece of identification. I still had my California drivers license, so this worked just fine.

The cabin is large with a queen-size bed. There is a seperate air-conditioner that you can control. There is a padded bench, small table with chairs. The bed does have a light blanket with sheets. There are also pillows included. The cabin also has a private bathroom. The bathroom has a shower, comode and sink. There is a bidet, but no toilet paper, so bring your own. There is also a television in the room, but we did not use it.

The ship left the dock promptly at 10:00 PM.

There is a cafeteria onboard the ferry. The cafeteria's operating hours are from 7 PM to 12 AM. The cafeteria does not reopen again during the trip. The cafeteria is large and bright with several servers available to assist you. The food was freshly made and was adequate. There were also some premade desserts that were obviously prepared earlier. Chips, raman bowls, bottled water, Coke Zero and beer were all available.

The ferry does not have Wi-Fi. For those with cell phones, it is possible to get a weak signal from a cell tower from a passing island, but the connection is weak and unreliable.

We returned back to our cabin and settled in for the night.

It is at this point that I must mention that traveling on a ferry is not like sailing on a Norwegian cruise ship like the Encore. The VIP cabin is located on the starboard side of the ferry, very near the bow. Once we left Cebu, workers needed to perform various activities near at the bow that included adjusting the anchor chain. There is no insulation, so every metallic sound reverberated through the cabin. There was a constant clanking, banging sound that continued for the better part of an hour. It was difficult to sleep. Fortunately, the sounds subsided and I was able to fall asleep. Arlyn, with all her excitement and anticipation, was not able to get any sleep.

Payee	Item	Cost	Form of Payment
Roble Cafeteria	Dining	₱335.00	Cash
Total		₱335.00

April 29th, 2025

At about 4:45 AM, I was awakened by the sound of a voice coming from the ferry's PA system. I can only assume it was to announce our arrival to the Ormoc port. Arlyn and I turned on the cabin light, got dressed, visited the loo and brushed our teeth (with bottled water of course). We repacked our overnight bag and gathered up our gear. We headed out from the cabin, making sure we surrendered the cabin key and had my license returned to me. We found our car and reloaded our gear.

At around 5 AM, the air-conditioner was automatically shut off. I guess we had worn out our welcome and it was time to leave.

The chokes were already removed and we were on our way. We drove off the ferry and approached the pier security gate. The guard wanted to review our tickets before allowing us to leave the pier. It was 5:15 AM.

We found a gas station close to the Ormoc pier. We stopped and gassed up.

We drove from Ormoc to Tacloban in about 2 hours 10 minutes.

We drove from Tacloban to Bolusao, E. Samar in 1 hours 35 minutes. We arrived in Bolusao, E. Samar at 9:00 AM.

Payee	Item	Cost	Form of Payment
Petron	Gas	₱1,383.71	Cash
Total		₱1,383.71