Updated 28 Feb, 2001
Travel to Coron, Busuanga Island, Palawan, Philippines by the Nicest Ship
If you take the "Our Lady of Medjugorje" from Manila's North Harbor on Friday at 4 PM, you will sleep on the ship and arrive in Coron Saturday morning at 5:45 AM. You will be in time to have breakfast, check into your room, clean up, and dive on the wrecks that day. Just be at Dive Right before 8:30 AM so we can fit you with equipment and load your tanks on the dive boat.
WG&A "Our Lady of Lipa, similar to the "Our Lady of Medjugorje"
Our Lady of Medjugorje is operated by WG&A on the route, Manila to Coron, Palawan continuing to Puerto Princesa, Palawan and the reverse.
Tickets for Our Lady of Medjugorje can be purchased at the SuperFerry ticket office at Pier 4, Manila's North Harbor (go up the ramp on the left side of the building to the second floor), just prior to departing, or at any the WG&A ticket outlets around Manila, or from most Travel Agents in Manila.
For tourists lodging in the Ermita area a WG&A ticket outlet is located on the ground floor of the high rise shopping mall and office building on the corner of United Nations (UN) Avenue and Taft Avenue next to the LRT (Light Rail Transit) station. Look for Alexis Travel's counter just inside of the ground floor door facing the LRT. They are on-line with the WG&A computer and can write your ticket for you.
We recommend buying the ticket without meals and insurance and then buying what food you prefer from the snack bar or restaurant on the ship. Personally, there are outlets for McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's and many others on UN Avenue which can provide packaged food to take on the ship.
You can get to North Harbor, Pier 4 by taxi for about P100 though the taxi drivers will ask for P200 or more. Do not pay more than P150 and insist on being dropped off at the gate to the pier and not just at the gate to North Harbor.
Backpackers can get to the ship by taking the jeepneys on Mabini Street that have a sign in the front window saying "Pier" and then transferring to a second jeepney that carries the sign saying "North Harbor". When the ride ends on the "Pier" jeepney ask the driver to point you towards the jeepney for "North Harbor" or "Delpan". This jeepney is sitting on the north side of a roundabout next to a gasoline station. When this ride finishes you are one block from the main gate of North Harbor and pier 4 is just inside the gate. Each ride on the jeepney currently costs PHP 4.
We recommend passing up the rice, boiled egg and hotdog breakfast on Our Lady of Medjugorje in favor of eating at the L&M Pe Restaurant or Kalamayan Inn immediately on arrival in Coron.
In Coron when you disembark you will take a tricycle (125cc motorcycle with sidecar) to your hotel.
If you are staying at the L&M Pe Sea Lodge & Restaurant at the public market:
The tricycle will depart the pier area and turn left. The market is about 2 km away and could be walked in 15 to 20 minutes. The fare for the tricycle is P3 if you share it with anyone who can pile in at anytime after they wave the trike to a stop, or P20 if you rent the whole trike. With any luggage and a traveling companion or two, just pay P20 at the start and tell the trike driver "L&M Pe Lodge, Public Market, direcho" which means go directly without stopping.
If you are staying at the Kalamayan Inn:
The tricycle will come out of the pier and turn left. The ride is about 4 minutes and you will finish up about 200 meters from the public market. You are within walking distance of Dive Right. You can look for the Dive Right dive flag logo and the signs for the L&M Pe Lodge and Restaurant.
ORIGIN / DAY / TIME / PIER / DESTINATION / DAY / TIME / PIER
Departs Manila Friday at 4:00 PM from North Harbor Pier 4 and arrives Coron Saturday at 6:00 AM.
Departs Coron Saturday at 7:00 AM and goes to Puerto Princesa, Palawan.
Departs Puerto Princesa Sunday by 10:00 AM and arrives in Coron by 10:00 PM
Departs Coron Sunday at 11:00 PM arrives in Manila on Monday at noon at North Harbor Pier 14
Your ticket should be purchased WITHOUT MEALS! (There is food served on the ship. You just have to select what turns you on and pay for it.)
Economy Php 820 / person one-way
Tourist 1,225 / person one-way
Cabin 1,640 / person one-way Note: Cabins for 4 and for 6 persons are available.
Suite 3,940 / two persons one-way
One way Manila to Coron. No meals.
NOTE: All accommodations are per head basis except for Stateroom and Suite which are on a room rate basis.
An additional Php 15.00 will be included in fare for Insurance and Terminal Fee.
Coron to Manila is 10 pesos cheaper (no terminal fee)
Schedules and Fares are subject to change without prior notice.Sailing time from Manila to Coron is 14 hours. Route: Manila-Coron-Puerto Princessa-Coron-Manila
Using "Our Lady of Medjugorje" on Saturday morning when it continues on to Puerto Princesa will be the preferred method of continuing a vacation trip from Coron down to Central Palawan.
New Information added 27 Oct 2001
Travel to Coron, Busuanga Island, Palawan, Philippines with Sulpicio Lines M/V Ilo Ilo
Sulpicio Lines has started service from Manila to Coron to Puerto Princesa and return using the M/V Ilo Ilo. The ship will depart from Manila at 10 PM Thursday at Pier 12, North Harbor. The arrival time in Coron is given as Noon on Friday.
More detailed information about the various levels of accommodation and the ticket prices will follow after I have either talked to the Company or ridden the ship and talked to the crew. Expect accommodatons and pricing to be similar to the WG&A Our Lady of Medjugorje.
In Case your Tourist Guidebook still lists the MBRS Lines Salve Juliana
MBRS Lines has sold the M/V Salve Juliana and is negotiating the purchase of a new ship to replace the Salve Juliana on the route from Manila to Coron and onward to the town of Limanancong on Palawan Island.
When service resumes we will list the information here.
Travel to Coron, Busuanga Island, Palawan by Slow Boat from Manila
Asuncion Lines Ship, "San Nicholas" at Coron Pier
Asuncion Lines operates smaller slower boats, which are NOT tourist class. The best of these is the San Nicholas. It leaves on Tuesdays at 2 PM from Manila and takes about 20 hours to get to Coron at 1100 on Wednesday. These boats operate from a pier at North Harbor called ISLA PUTING BATO, which is on the left (South side) of the gate for pier 2. Follow the road 200 meters all the way out to the end and look for white wood fishing trawler style boats about 30 meters long. Names of the other boats are Catalyn A, Asuncion 10 and Asuncion 11. They usually leave at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday but ALWAYS call first at 63-2-245-4595 or 4596 to confirm the schedule. The schedule can change at holiday times. These boats take 20 to 24 hours to make the trip and cost about P350. You get two meals of simple Philipino food. Bring bottled water to drink. Water, soft drinks, boiled eggs, cookies, chips and crackers are available at the pier.
Travel to Coron, Palawan by Slow Boat from Batangas
Travel to Coron, Palawan by Slow Boat from Batangas is now possible. Viva Lines has resumed its' operation from Batangas to Coron. The ship leaves Batangas on Wednesday and arrives in Coron on Thursday. It leaves Coron on Friday and arrives in Batangas on Saturday. This schedule is subject to frequent change.