Bolusao, E. Samar to Mandaue City, Cebu

August 6th - August 7th, 2025

Summary

Purpose: Return to Cebu.

Departure Date: August 6th, 2025 (Wednesday)

Departure Location: Barangay Bolusao, Lawaan, E. Samar

Arrival Date: August 7th, 2025 (Thursday)

Arrival Location: Mandaue City, Cebu

Total Cost: ₱17,403.86

Narrative

As of August 6th, Arlyn and I had been at our Bolusao home for 14 days. Nanay had her birthday party. It was time to return to Cebu City.

August 6th, 2025

We loaded up the Fortuner and left Bolusao at around 9:15 AM. We needed to drive from Bolusao, E. Samar to Ormoc City, Leyte, via Tacloban.

We arrived in Tacloban at around 11:15 AM. Unlike our previous trip to Cebu, we blew through Tacloban. We did, however, stop at McDonald's in Alang-Alang, Leyte, for lunch at around 11:52 AM.

We arrived at the Ormoc Roble ticketing office at 2:34 PM.

We purchased the tickets needed for Arlyn and me to ferry from Ormoc City, Leyte to Cebu City. The VIP room was available. We also paid to have our Fortuner to join us as freight. The ship we booked passage on was the M/V Immaculate Star. I was charged a senior discount for the VIP room. Come to find out later, this was not supposed to have happened. This is the exception, not the rule.

Itinerary

Date/Time	Event
August 7th, 2025 11:00 AM	Depart Ormoc Port
August 7th, 2025 6:00 PM	Arrive at Cebu Pier 4

We were informed by the Roble personnel that terminal and wharfage fees would need to be paid prior to boarding the ferry. In addition, a coast guard inspection sticker was required. These items cannot be acquired ahead of time. They must be obtained on the day of the travel. In other words, they must be procured just prior to departure.

After completing our business with Roble Shipping, it was time to head to our hotel. I had made reservations to stay for one night at the Copenhagen Residence on July 28th, 2025. When I attempted to make the reservation, the hotel's website said there were no rooms available. However, when I looked at Agoda, rooms were available. I booked the room through Agoda this time, ensuring we had a room at the Copenhagen. The price was slightly higher going through Agoda (as expected). The Copenhagen Residence is a good hotel as it has free parking and the price included breakfast.

After checking into the hotel, it was about 6:00 PM. We headed to the Jollibee located next door. This was to be our dinner.

We returned to the Copenhagen to settle in for the night. The room was very clean and professional. The two air conditioning units were very responsive and the bathroom had a hot water heater. There was also a kitchen sink and a refrigerator. The Internet wi-fi signal was solid and easy to connect. There was a limited supply of toilet paper and no washrags. If you plan to visit this hotel, be sure to bring extra toilet paper and washrags. We sacrificed a hotel-provided hand towel to meet our need for a washrag.

Payee	Item	Cost	Form of Payment
McDonalds (Alang-Alang)	Lunch	₱385.00	Cash
Roble Shipping	Freight cost for Fortuner	₱8,484.00	Cash
Roble Shipping	Unique Room	₱2,593.00	Cash
Jollibee (Ormoc)	Dinner	₱445.00	Cash
Total		₱11,907.00

August 7th, 2025

Arlyn and I headed down to the hotel's dining area. We were provided with menus to order from. The breakfasts were filling and satisfying. The wait staff were very professional and prompt.

Since the food on the Immaculate Star is the quality of a carinderia, we decided to try something different. We ordered some meals-to-go from the Copenhagen to take with us. Arlyn ordered corned beef with rice. This actually turned out to be a good option. The quality of the box lunches was superior to the cantina's food. After purchasing our box lunches, we returned to our room, packed our gear and checked out from the Copenhagen and headed for the port.

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. These would need to be paid on the day of travel.

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.

After paying the two fees, a visit to the Coast Guard station is required. 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 following map of Ormoc port outlines the steps that we followed to fulfill the requirements. They are:

1. Park the car in the dedicated port terminal area.
2. Pay Arlyn's terminal fee.
3. Move the car to the inside of the first pier gate.
4. Pay wharfage fee
5. Walk to Coast Guard station to acquire stamp.
6. Return to car and drive onto the dock.

Click on image to enlarge.

With all the terminal fees paid and the coast guard stamp's ink drying, we drove through the second Ormoc Port security gate and drove to the loading area for the Immaculate Star. Once we were there, the ship's loadmaster reviewed our documentation. He then cleared us for immediate loading. Once parked and chocked, we exited our vehicle and headed to the VIP Room. We grabbed our backpacks and box lunches. We climbed some very narrow, steep stairs to the appropriate deck. We were directed by ship's stewards to the front of the ship to 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 handed over my Philippine's drivers license.

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 11:00 AM.

We arrived at the Cebu Port Pier 3 at around 5:15 PM. We gathered up our gear, returned the room key (and retreived my drivers license), and returned to our car. Most of the other vehicles were already gone. We placed our stuff in the car and headed off.

Payee	Item	Cost	Form of Payment
Copenhagen (via Agoda)	Lodging with Breakfast	₱4,677.86	Debit
Copenhagen	Box Lunches	₱660.00	Cash
Ormoc Port Authority	Terminal Fee	₱30.00	Cash
Ormoc Port Authority	Terminal Fee	₱129.00	Cash
Total		₱5,496.86