Synopsis

Now that the Fiesta was done and the cats were taken care of, it was time to get back to Mandaue City to continue to monitor the construction of our Talisay home.

Summary

• Purpose: Return to Cebu
• Departure Date: June 8th, 2026 (Monday)
• Departure Location: Barangay Bolusao, Lawaan, E. Samar
• Arrival Date: June 9th, 2026 (Tuesday)
• Arrival Location: Mandaue City, Cebu
• Total Cost: ₱20,035.00

Map(s)

Narrative

May 25th, 2026

In preparation for our return to Mandaue City, I sent an email to the Copenhagen Residence (Website, Google Maps) requesting a suite room for Saturday, May 30th, 2026. Copenhagen Residences did not respond to my email request in a timely manner. I reached out to their Facebook Messenger account. Through Messenger, I was able to make the reservation at the nightly rate of ₱3,980.00.

May 30th, 2026

Arlyn and I started talking about heading back to Mandaue City on May 30th, 2026. We had one more thing we needed to take care of before we left and that was the spaying of three cats. The Balangiga vet was only available on Sundays. Arlyn contacted the vet and discovered that the cats would need medication and care for the week following the procedure and they would need to come back to the vet the following week to have the stitches removed. We would have the procedures performed on Sunday, May 31st. Since we did not know if anybody would be available to take care of the cats after the procedure, we delayed our return to Mandaue City to Monday, June 8th, after we made sure the cat's stitches were removed.

I contacted Copenhagen Residences via Facebook Messenger to cancel the May 30th reservation.

June 3rd, 2026

The three cats were spayed on Sunday, May 31st successfully. Arlyn and I were taking care of medication needs and making sure the stitches were not coming out.

I contacted Copenhagen Residences via Facebook Messenger to make a reservation for Monday, June 8th, 2026, for one night.

June 8th, 2026

The three cats had their sutures removed by the vet on June 7th. They were healing very nicely and their were no issues. We were clear to leave.

We loaded up the Fortuner and left Bolusao at around 9:00 AM. We needed to drive from Bolusao, E. Samar to Ormoc City, Leyte, via Tacloban.

We arrived in Tacloban at around 11:00 AM. We blew through Tacloban. We did, however, stop at McDonald's in Alang-Alang, Leyte, for lunch at around 11:20 AM.

We arrived at the Ormoc Roble ticketing office (Company Website, Wiki, Google Maps) at 2:00 PM.

We purchased the tickets needed for Arlyn and I to ferry from Ormoc City, Leyte to Cebu City. The good news was that 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. We left the ticketing office at 2:35 PM.

Itinerary

Date/Time	Event
June 9th, 2026 11:00 AM	Depart Ormoc Port
June 9th, 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 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. As mentioned previously, I had made reservations to stay for one night at the Copenhagen Residences (Website, Google Maps). The Copenhagen Residences is a good hotel as it has free parking and the price includes 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 a wash cloth.

Payee	Item	Cost	Form of Payment
McDonalds (Alang-Alang)	Lunch	₱434.00	Debit
Roble Shipping	Freight cost for Fortuner	₱10,520.00	Debit
Roble Shipping	VIP Room	₱3,820.00	Debit
Copenhagen	Lodging	₱3,980.00	Debit
Jollibee (Ormoc)	Dinner	₱522.00	Cash
Total		₱19,276.00

June 9th, 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.

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 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 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 port side of the ship to an air-conditioned room.

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

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. Since we had not docked, all of the vehicles were there waiting to disembark. After docking, we were the eighth car off the ferry. We got home at around 6:00 PM.

Payee	Item	Cost	Form of Payment
Copenhagen	Box Lunches	₱600.00	Cash
Ormoc Port Authority	Terminal Fee	₱30.00	Cash
Ormoc Port Authority	Wharfage Fee	₱129.00	Cash
Total		₱759.00