2GO Travel Experience, Batangas Port to Caticlan Jetty Port Boracay

2go to boracay

Since I wanted to experience traveling on a vessel, I considered taking 2GO Travel instead of a plane to my 5-day Western Visayas adventure.  As usual, I didn’t had any concrete plans on my adventure. All I wanted was to visit and explore Iloilo City, Roxas City and Boracay.  Perhaps, also visit Antique and Aklan if I’ll have extra time.  I checked the travel 2GO Travel website and the fastest way to go to Western Visayas is via Batangas Port to Caticlan Port in Aklan. This route is popular to tourists visiting Boracay.

Tip: Book your discounted Boracay hotel or accommodation HERE.

2GO Travel Time

Manila Port to Iloilo City –  20 hours
Batangas Port to Roxas City – 12 hours
Batangas Port to Caticlan, Aklan  (Boracay) – 10 hours

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2GO Travel website has an online booking facility which makes booking easier and faster. Since I wanted to avail a PWD discount, I opted to buy my ticket on a 2GO outlet.


2GO kiosk at Robinson’s Forum, Mandaluyong City. At a discounted price, I paid 1,074 Php for a tourist class accommodation of Batangas to Caticlan trip. The regular rate of Batangas Port to Caticlan is at 1,200+ Php.

The trip was supposedly at 9 PM the same day I bought the ticket. An hour after my ticket purchase, I received an SMS from 2GO that the trip is cancelled. I had to return to the kiosk and had my trip rescheduled at 10 AM the next day.


Since I was very excited, I arrived at Batangas Terminal II way too early than the vessels’ scheduled departure.

batangas pier terminal 2
Didn’t know that there are also other shipping lines in the port. I met a group of tourists taking a vessel heading to Sibuyan Island.

batangas port terminal fee
After strolling outside the terminal. I decided to come inside the waiting area. Well, the terminal fee of  30 Php is much cheaper than NAIA’s. There are various food stalls inside the 2-storey  air conditioned terminal. Overall, the area is well maintained.

batangas port terminal waiting area
My backpack is my travel buddy.

2GO Vessel SAP5 Voy 242
At 8:30 AM – an hour and a half before the departure, someone from 2GO announced that travelers can now board in the vessel. Before boarding, 2GO security officials will ask passengers to fall in line, drop their baggage and stay away for at least a meter from the baggages.  It felt weird until I saw sniffing dogs checking each and every baggage.

As we enter the vessel, we were greeted by the very accommodating and friendly 2GO staff. I should say that 2GO knows what customer service is. I was even accompanied by a 2GO staff to my assigned area.

2GO Travel Accommodations – Batangas to Caticlan (Boracay) Trip

For this vessel (SAP5 Voy 242), there are only 2 types of accommodations, the Tourist Class and the Value Class.


Tourist Class Accommodation 
The area is fully air conditioned. In fact, it is very cold in the area. Beds do not have linens, there is a linen station in the area where you can claim your linens. Bunk beds in tourist class accommodation also offer a bit more privacy than that of Value Class.


2go tourist class accommodation to boracay
Luckily, I was assigned on the lower deck. I bet it would be very uncomfortable if you travel alone and will take the upper deck.

2go accommodation tv
My bed is also perfectly situated in the corner. It is near the TV too!

life vests 2go safe travel
While waiting for the 10:00 AM departure, a very informative video clip about safety precautions and what to do during emergencies are shown in the TV. I was surprised that there are actually 3 kinds of life vests provided in each bed in the vessel!

backpacker bed 2go

Value Class Accommodation
This is an open air area where travelers can enjoy the wind and smell of the sea. I do not recommend staying in Value class if you are travelling on a daytime as it may get hot in this place when there’s no wind during noon. However, this is a perfect accommodation if you are after the fresh sea air.

cheap 2go accommodation to boracay
Bunk beds are less private. Unlike with Tourist class’, beds do not have partition.

value class accommodation 2go vessel

Facilities
There is an air conditioned lobby where travelers can relax during the trip. Also located in the lobby is a mini store and a concierge.
lobby 2go vessel boracay

I had my lunch and snack at Horizon Cafe and Restaurant. Too bad that I was not able to take photos of the cafe. My lunch costed 190 Php (3pcs. Pork Barbecue, mixed veggies, rice and Mango shake) and 70 Php for snacks (malagkit with sago and soda in can).
2go horizon cafe and restaurant

Island Fiesta Grill is my favorite spot in the vessel. It has a viewing deck where travelers can enjoy the beauty of sea while the ship is cruising. There is a mini bar for those who love to drink and socialize with other travels. Also, this is the only spot where smoking is allowed.
viewing deck 2go travel

Beautiful view of the sea
view from 2go viewing deck

Island Fiesta transforms into a party place when the sun sets.
pary deck 2go ship

The not so party people travelers (that includes me! lol) watching the party people dance and enjoy. It felt like I’m in Boracay already as everyone in the viewing deck was partying.
island fiesta pary 2go travel

The vessel anchored for a stopover at Odiongan, Romblon at around 6:00 PM and left for Caticlan after 45 minutes. We were suppose to arrive at Caticlan Jetty port at around 8:00 PM, exactly 10 hours of travel from Batangas port.  However, there was a delay as there was a vessel congestion in Caticlan jetty port. We arrived at 9:30 PM instead.

If you are going to Boracay or anywhere in Western Visayas, and you want adventure, I highly recommend taking 2GO Travel. It is definitely cheaper and a good alternative to flying. The travel is obviously longer than taking a plane but cruising in the sea, meeting new friends and experiencing 2GO’s superb customer service is definitely worth the 10-hour extraordinary journey.

4 comments

comments user
BoracayStories

Hi! I’ve tried the Value Class of 2Go during a daytime trip from Caticlan to Batangas. No, it does not get too hot at noon. But yes, there’s no privacy at Value Class. Nonetheless, it was alright considering that we didn’t really sleep throughout the entire voyage. 🙂

    comments user
    edpuno

    Hi BoracayStories. Thank you for the info. I’ll definitely go on value class in my next visit to Aklan. I’m sure you also enjoyed your trip with 2Go. ???

comments user
Henry

Hi!
Thanks for your sharing! We will have a trip to Boracay and we decided to use 2GO from Batangas.
We arrive NAIA at 15:00 and take a bus to Batangas right away. Is it enough time for boarding if we arrive Batangas around 19:30?
Our vessel depart at 21:00.
Thank you.
Henry

    comments user
    One Armed Wanderer

    Hi Henry,
    You are welcome.Thanks also reading my post. 🙂

    If you will arrive in Batangas port at 19:30 and the vessel will depart at 21:00, that’s enough time for boarding. Just make sure to check-in right away since 2GO personnel usually announces boarding to the vessel an hour and a half before departure. Check-in area is on the ground floor and I suggest to wait for the boarding announcement in the second floor of the terminal. By the way, are you going to Boracay within the week?

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