Our Manila ferry hub lists the passenger ships that leave Manila for the islands. Read the operator's own schedule and one fact stands out: none of the sailings from Manila is a day trip. This guide explains what that means for a traveller with a cruise call in Manila, and is plain about what we could not confirm.
1. Overnight or longer, every time
2GO Travel's sailing schedule page, headed "updated as of January 15, 2026", lists the departures from Manila by day of the week. Every one of them arrives on a later calendar day than it leaves. The shortest in our table below, Coron, leaves Friday at 5:30 PM and arrives Saturday at 6:30 AM, which is about 13 hours by our arithmetic. The page does not state journey durations; the hours in the table are our subtraction of the listed times.
| Manila to | Listed departures and arrivals (2GO Travel schedule page) |
|---|---|
| Coron | Fri 5:30 PM, arrives Sat 6:30 AM (about 13 hours) |
| Puerto Princesa | Fri 5:30 PM, arrives Sat 10:30 PM (about 29 hours) |
| Cebu | Wed 9:00 PM, arrives Thu 7:00 PM (about 22 hours); Thu 11:00 AM, arrives Fri 10:00 AM (about 23 hours); Sun 9:00 AM, arrives Mon 7:00 AM (about 22 hours) |
| Bacolod | Tue 12:30 PM, arrives Wed 8:00 AM; Thu 9:30 PM, arrives Sat 10:30 AM; Sat 7:00 PM, arrives Sun 11:00 PM |
| Iloilo | Tue 12:30 PM, arrives Wed 4:30 PM; Thu 9:30 PM, arrives Sat 2:30 AM; Sat 7:00 PM, arrives Sun 2:30 PM |
| Dumaguete | Sun 9:30 PM, arrives Tue 1:30 AM |
Each route sails on fixed weekdays, so a missed departure can mean waiting for the next listed day. The page lists many more destinations than these six.
2. The Batangas link is a different port
The same schedule lists separate sailings from Batangas, for example Batangas to Caticlan daily at 9:00 PM, arriving 8:00 AM. It does not list a Manila to Batangas connection, and we found no operator or authority page that explains how to travel between the two. If a plan depends on that transfer, get it from an official source or a licensed operator before you book anything.
3. Which pier, and how to get there from the ship
This is the part we could not settle. 2GO's schedule page says nothing about terminals or piers, and its Before You Sail page gives no terminal location. Our hub page names North Harbor, but the 2GO pages we read today do not say so, so confirm the departure terminal with 2GO. We also did not find an official page, from the Philippine Ports Authority or the Department of Tourism, that tells a cruise passenger where the ship berths or how to reach the ferry terminal. The Philippine Ports Authority's contact page lists two Manila offices, PMO NCR North and PMO NCR South, without saying which harbour each covers. Ask your cruise line's port agent or shore-excursion desk for the berth and the transfer.
4. Tickets and timing
- 2GO's Before You Sail page says to arrive at the terminal "3-4 hours before departure", and in its check-in section to arrive at the check-in counter "at least four (4) hours before departure". It says boarding gates close 1 hour before departure.
- It asks for one printed copy of the eTicket Itinerary Receipt and a valid ID, and says 2GO reserves the right to refuse boarding without them. The accepted-ID list we read begins with the Philippine passport and otherwise names Philippine documents; it does not say what a foreign visitor should carry, so ask 2GO.
- On the day we read it, the 2GO group home page said the travel booking site was temporarily down and sent bookings and enquiries to Messenger. Check this before you plan to book online.
- The schedule is marked as updated on 15 January 2026, while 2GO's advisories page lists notices dated up to 30 September 2026, so confirm the current schedule with 2GO.
5. Access, luggage and comfort
- Wheelchairs: the Before You Sail page says wheelchair users board first and disembark last, and that a wheelchair user who is completely immobile needs a travelling companion. Ask 2GO what applies to your situation before you buy.
- Seniors: the page has a Senior Citizens section; its 20% discount is for Filipino nationals only, and it says a vessel doctor or nurse may assess a senior's fitness to travel on departure day. Read the section in full before booking.
- Luggage: the schedule page says a passenger who paid the full fare may carry hand baggage up to 50 kg, no more than 20 inches high and 30 inches wide per piece, that fits in the passenger's accommodation without blocking passageways. Excess baggage goes to a separate counter. We do not quote fees.
- Cabins: the schedule page says life vests are in the closet or storage bin of each cabin. The pages we read give no cabin descriptions.
6. Weather, and using these ships around a cruise
The schedule page says 2GO's fortuitous events policy covers delays from causes beyond its control, including acts of God and typhoons. We did not find a page that sets out what 2GO does for passengers when a sailing is delayed or cancelled, so ask before you book.
Because the ships sail overnight, they suit time before or after a cruise rather than a port day. If you plan to take one of these ships before or after a cruise, read our guides on separate tickets and a buffer and the all-aboard worksheet, and see the full list of routes on the Manila ferry hub.
Checked on 29 October 2026: 2GO's sailing schedule page, Before You Sail page, excess baggage page, advisories page (titles and dates only) and group home page, and the Philippine Ports Authority contact page. We could not confirm the departure terminal, the cruise berth or any transfer. Schedules change, so confirm with 2GO before you go.