Bolusao, E. Samar to Mandaue City, Cebu

January 5th - January 6th, 2026

Summary

Purpose: Return to Cebu.

Departure Date: January 5th, 2026 (Monday)

Departure Location: Barangay Bolusao, Lawaan, E. Samar

Arrival Date: January 6th, 2026 (Tuesday)

Arrival Location: Mandaue City, Cebu

Total Cost: ₱17,524.00

Narrative

Christmas? Done. New Year's? Done. Time to return to Cebu and collect my 13a visa that should be available on January 7th.

December 27th, 2025

In preparation for our return to Cebu, I sent an email to the Copenhagen residence requesting a suite room like we have done before. They responded the next morning with a booking confirmation. However, the booking confirmation had the wrong name and did not list my phone number. I replied requesting the changes be made. They responded minutes later with a correct booking. The reservation price is ₱3,980.00.

January 5th, 2026

We loaded up the Fortuner and left Bolusao at around 9:25 AM. We needed to drive from Bolusao, E. Samar to Ormoc City, Leyte, via Tacloban.

We arrived in Tacloban at around 11:10 AM. We blew through Tacloban. We did, however, stop at McDonald's in Alang-Alang, Leyte, for lunch at around 11:31 AM. It was extremely busy and the order took some time to prepare.

We arrived at the Ormoc Roble ticketing office at 2:20 PM. Just like McDonald's, the ticket office was crowded. Apparently, yesterday's ferry from Ormoc to Cebu was cancelled. Most of the passengers were trying to rebook their trips.

There was an American sitting outside the office looking rather despondent. He looked at me as I approached the front door. He said the wait to get a ticket was three hours. During my time in the Philippines, it is my experience that when Americans are faced with a situation that is less than desirable, they tend to over exaggerate the situation. I am not sure as to why they feel the need to do this, but I find it to be very annoying.

We purchased the tickets needed for Arlyn and me to ferry from Ormoc City, Leyte to Cebu City. The VIP room was not available. The good news was that the Unique 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. We left the ticketing office at 3:00 PM, far earlier than the American's projected three hours.

Itinerary

Date/Time	Event
January 6th, 2026 11:00 AM	Depart Ormoc Port
January 6th, 2026 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 December 27th, 2025. The Copenhagen Residence is a good hotel as it has free parking and the price included breakfast.

At 3:30 PM, we were in our hotel room. We proceeded to get settled in. At 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 wash cloth. If you plan to visit this hotel, be sure to bring extra toilet paper and wash cloth.

Payee	Item	Cost	Form of Payment
McDonalds (Alang-Alang)	Lunch	₱461.00	Debit
Roble Shipping	Freight cost for Fortuner	₱8,484.00	Debit
Roble Shipping	Unique Room	₱3,030.00	Debit
Copenhagen	Lodging	₱3,980.00	Debit
Jollibee (Ormoc)	Dinner	₱705.00	Cash
Total		₱16,660.00

January 6th, 2026

Arlyn and I headed down to the hotel's dining area at around 7:00 AM. 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 bring 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 were told that Arlyn could not accompany me to the dock in the car. So I had to return her to the terminal area and drop her off. We made arrangements to meet up on the dock as I waited to load the Fortuner. After dropping her off with her ticket, terminal fee receipt and passport, I returned to the dock area to check in with security. They had me open the back and take a quick look, but that was all they did. They checked my paperwork and allowed me to pass. I parked near the front of the loading area. I only had to wait about 2 - 3 minutes before I saw Arlyn coming up. She hopped in and we were signaled to load on the ferry. Once parked and chocked, we exited our vehicle and headed to the Unique 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 port side of the ship to an air-conditioned room.

The cabin's key is provided to you when you surrender a piece of identification. I handed over my Philippine's drivers license.

The Unique Room is much smaller than the VIP room. There is a double bed there with a dedicated air conditioner. There is also a bathroom.

The ship left the dock promptly at 11:00 AM.

We arrived at the Cebu Port Pier 3 at around 5:25 PM. We gathered up our gear, returned the room key (and retreived my drivers license), and returned to our car. Since we had not docked, all of the vehicles were there waiting to disembark. After docking, we were the third car off the ferry. We got home at around 6:00 PM.

Payee	Item	Cost	Form of Payment
Copenhagen	Box Lunches	₱670.00	Debit
Ormoc Port Authority	Terminal Fee	₱30.00	Cash
Ormoc Port Authority	Terminal Fee	₱129.00	Cash
Mamon Vendor	Snack	₱35.00	Cash
Total		₱864.00