All good things must come to an end, and it’s time go home. If you’ve travelled via 2go going to Boracay, then you can consider yourself a pro now. *clap* *clap.* The home bound route is basically the Caticlan and Boracay bound posts in reverse.
Prepare the same things you’ve organized when you were Caticlan bound.
click here if it’s you’re still a first timer to know what you need to have, and
click here so that you can see my reminders
Since the departure time was still at 7pm, we requested for a late check out. They allowed us to stay up to 2pm. We had lunch and rented a tryc to get to the Cagban port around 3pm and paid 100pesos.
When we got to the Cagban port the terminal was under construction, and they had make-shift counters on the right side if you are facing the building. Pay 25pesos for the pump boat and 100pesos for the terminal fee. Just behind you there’s a queue with a guy collecting the terminal fee stub. Walk straight and there will be someone directing you to the available boat and they will collect your boat stub. When you are walking into the boat, take a seat on the benches to your right to get the most shade from the sun (this is the left side once the boat moves to Caticlan).
Once you are in Caticlan, follow the crowd to get to the front of the building. You will see the 2go office just outside of the compound (past the Yoohoo Restaurant). Go inside the office (enjoy the aircon, ahhhh!) And trade your e-tickets to get the actual ticket.
It was only 4:00pm then, they said that we will be allowed to enter to Ro-Ro terminal at 5:30pm and the cut-off time for paying the terminal fee is at 6:45pm (15 minutes before the scheduled departure).
You can stay in the office if there are still seats to avoid the afternoon heat, or you can try what we did (best option, I think, apir LJ!), we went back to the Caticlan Terminal (the one for those going to Boracay). We had our bags scanned and we stayed in the air-conditioned waiting area, smart! And since everyone was just passing through to get to the pump boats, we basically have the whole seating area to ourselves! They also have free wi-fi! Needless to say we stayed here until a little past 5pm.
The terminal for the Ro-Ro’s is on the left side (if you are facing the building). There was already a crowd that was starting to build up when we went to check if they are allowing people in. We tried to get in line, but we figured its nonsense to stand for so long to get inside the terminal and then be asked to wait again. We looked for a bench near the Southwest Tour office and sat there while waiting for the crowd to thin out. The line was moving slowly, and they finally cleared the crowd by 5:50pm. That’s when we got back in line. Everyone’s already inside standing around.
We had to pay 50pesos for the terminal fee (double-standard in my opinion. Why does it have to be a 100 for Boracay bound?? The passengers don’t even sit there. Was it because there’s wi-fi in that terminal?)
Lucky us, there were some available seats in the waiting area since some passengers are already restless and they were just standing around outside even though they are not allowed to board yet.
Same as last time, once they allowed the passengers to board it causes a bit of panic, lots of people moving around, trying to be in front. They will still ask the girls to line on one side and the boys on the other. Once aboard, you just need to look for your bunk assignment and get comfy.
We rode a different vessel going back, so there were some new spots to explore. It was fully booked and unfortunately for those in the Mega Value Cabin (non air-conditioned section) it rained. Some opted to move to the lounge area and sleep in one of the couches.
The PA system was also better so we can hear the announcement that there’s delay in the arrival time and we were able to sleep in.
We finally docked at around 9am (as opposed to the 4am schedule, huwaaat?!). As soon as you get out of the vessel, follow the covered path until you can see the bus terminal. We rode the Ceres bus bound for Cubao via Calabarzon, yey! So it was a faster trip getting home.
Overall, for the price that you paid, and if you set your expectation just right, it was worth it. It was a great experience, not sure if I want to try it again though. Ask me again in 6 months. LOL!
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