OceanJet, 2GO, Cokaliong, Lite Ferries, FastCat and SuperCat all leave from Cebu but serve very different trips — here's which operator to book for Bohol, Dumaguete, Siquijor, Manila, or Mindanao.
TL;DR: For Bohol, Dumaguete, or Siquijor, OceanJet’s fastcraft is the quickest way out of Cebu (2–4.5 hours, ₱1,000–2,600 / roughly US$17–45). For Manila, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, or Leyte, you need an overnight liner — 2GO or Cokaliong — since no fastcraft covers those distances (8–24 hours, ₱1,400–8,600 / about US$24–149). Budget operators Lite Ferries and FastCat undercut everyone on short Bohol hops (₱330–540 / US$6–9) if you don’t mind a slower RORO ferry instead of a fastcraft. Book OceanJet, 2GO, and FastCat online; Lite Ferries and Cokaliong mostly at the terminal. Verified July 2026.
Cebu’s port isn’t one pier with one company — it’s a scattered set of terminals, each run by a different operator, each built for a different kind of trip. Ask “which ferry should I take” in Cebu and the honest answer is “depends where you’re going and how much time you want to trade for money.” This guide breaks down the six operators you’ll actually run into — OceanJet, 2GO, Cokaliong, Lite Ferries, FastCat, and SuperCat — so you book the right one the first time instead of overpaying for speed you didn’t need, or underpaying and losing half a day. For the full rundown of Cebu’s piers themselves, see our Cebu port guide.
Cebu’s Ferry Operators at a Glance
| Operator | Type | Main routes from Cebu | Typical fare | Book how |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OceanJet | Fastcraft, aircon (2–4.5 hrs) | Tagbilaran, Dumaguete & Siquijor (via Bohol), Ormoc | ₱1,000–2,600 (~US$17–45) | oceanjetonlinebooking.ph or Pier 4 |
| SuperCat | Fastcraft (~2 hrs) | Tagbilaran | ₱800–1,200 (~US$14–21) | Terminal or resale sites (12Go, Pamasahe) |
| FastCat | RORO fastcraft (~1.5 hrs) | Tubigon (Bohol) | ₱436–541 (~US$8–9) | fastcat.ph or Pier 2 |
| Lite Ferries | Slower RORO ferry (2–4 hrs) | Tagbilaran, Tubigon (Bohol) | ₱330–520 (~US$6–9) | Terminal (Pier 1) mainly |
| 2GO | Overnight RORO liner, cabins (8–24 hrs) | Manila, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Iloilo, Bacolod | ₱1,400–8,600 (~US$24–149) | 2goticket.ph or Pier 1 |
| Cokaliong | Overnight RORO liner (6–12 hrs) | Dumaguete, Cagayan de Oro, Ormoc/Leyte | ₱480–5,640 (~US$8–97) | cokaliongshipping.com or NRA terminal |
Fares are economy-to-premium ranges per operator’s own published rates; exact pricing shifts with fuel surcharges and season. Verified July 2026.
Which Ferry Should You Take for Bohol?
For Tagbilaran, it’s a straight speed-versus-price call between OceanJet or SuperCat (fastcraft) and Lite Ferries (RORO). OceanJet and SuperCat get you there in about 2 hours for ₱800–1,560 (roughly US$14–27). Lite Ferries takes twice as long, about 4 hours, but costs a third of the price at ₱400–520 (about US$7–9). If you’re catching an onward tour that day (Chocolate Hills, Loboc River), pay for the fastcraft. If your only plan is to arrive and relax, the RORO ferry saves real money.
For Tubigon instead of Tagbilaran — useful if you’re headed straight to Panglao or northern Bohol — FastCat and Lite Ferries both run the route in 1.5–2 hours for ₱330–541 (about US$6–9), and there’s no fastcraft premium option here at all, so this leg is cheap regardless of operator.
What About Dumaguete or Siquijor?
There’s no direct fastcraft from Cebu to either — OceanJet routes both through Tagbilaran, Bohol, adding a connection. Total travel time runs about 4 hours 20 minutes for either destination, with fares of ₱1,600–2,600 (roughly US$28–45). It’s one ticket, one boarding, and OceanJet handles the transfer, so it’s more of a longer sit than a hassle.
If you’d rather skip the Bohol stopover entirely, Cokaliong sails direct from Cebu to Dumaguete a few times a week (Mon/Wed/Sat outbound in current schedules), taking about 6 hours for fares starting around ₱480 (about US$8) in economy, up to ₱5,640 (about US$97) for a private cabin. It’s slower door-to-door than the OceanJet connection but skips the transfer and comes in cheaper if you’re not paying for a cabin.
When Do You Need 2GO or Cokaliong?
Once you’re going past Bohol or Negros — Manila, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Iloilo, or Leyte — fastcraft isn’t an option and you’re on an overnight liner. These are the big RORO ships with dorm-style economy berths up to private aircon cabins, not the open-seating fastcraft you’d take to Bohol.
- 2GO to Cagayan de Oro: about 8 hours, ₱1,400–4,700 (roughly US$24–81), sailing Mon/Thu on current schedules.
- 2GO to Manila: about 24 hours, ₱2,860–8,615 (roughly US$49–149), sailing Tue/Wed/Fri.
- Cokaliong to Cagayan de Oro: about 12 hours, ₱1,405–2,000 (roughly US$24–34).
2GO has the wider network and a more built-out booking site; Cokaliong tends to run a bit cheaper on shared routes and is the better fit if Leyte or Ormoc is the destination. Both operators sail only a few days a week per route, so this isn’t a “just show up” trip — check the specific sailing date before you plan around it.
How Do You Book — Online or at the Terminal?
OceanJet, 2GO, and FastCat all have functional online booking; Lite Ferries and Cokaliong still lean on terminal counters and phone lines. OceanJet’s online booking issues an e-ticket with no printing required, though the standard 20% student/senior/PWD discount is only honored on port-bought tickets, not online ones. Third-party aggregators (12Go, Pamasahe, Bookaway) resell most operators and are a reasonable fallback if an operator’s own site is glitchy, usually with a small service fee.
Book ahead for anything on a fixed weekly schedule — 2GO and Cokaliong’s long-haul routes, and any fastcraft route during Holy Week, Sinulog, or long weekends. For daily short hops like Cebu–Tagbilaran on a slow Tuesday, walking up to the terminal an hour early is usually fine.
Whichever you book, bring a valid government ID — every operator refuses boarding without one, ticket or not. Arrive 45–60 minutes early for fastcraft, 2 hours early for overnight liners.
Which Pier Do You Leave From?
Each operator uses a different terminal, and they’re not within easy walking distance of each other. As of 2026: OceanJet mainly operates from Pier 4, FastCat from Pier 2, Lite Ferries and 2GO from Pier 1, and Cokaliong from its own terminal in the North Reclamation Area. Pier assignments shift occasionally, so confirm with the operator or your ticket confirmation rather than assuming — if you’re weighing two operators for the same trip, don’t plan on comparing tickets in person at one location. See the Cebu pier and port guide for terminal-by-terminal detail.
The Honest Take
Cebu’s ferry scene rewards a little homework and punishes assumptions. The biggest mistake travelers make is booking OceanJet out of habit for a Dumaguete or Siquijor trip without realizing it’s a connection through Bohol, not a direct sailing — factor in the full 4-plus hours, not just the “fast” in fastcraft. The second mistake is booking a RORO ferry like Lite Ferries when you’re tight on time; it’s the right call for a relaxed budget trip, the wrong call if you’ve got a tour booked for that afternoon.
For long-haul routes (Manila, Mindanao, Leyte), don’t expect fastcraft pricing or fastcraft frequency — these ships sail a few days a week, and cabins sell out around holidays and paydays. Book those legs as early as you’d book a flight, not as an afterthought.
Getting to Your Next Stop
Once you’re off the boat, plan the rest of the trip around it: our guides to Cebu to Bohol (Tagbilaran and Tubigon), Cebu to Siquijor, and Cebu to Dumaguete via Liloan-Sibulan or Bato-Tampi go deeper on schedules and what to do once you land. If you’re staging from the terminal itself, check hotels near Cebu City so you’re not rushing across town for an early sailing, and compare Cebu island-hopping tours if a ferry trip is really the start of a bigger multi-island run.
Sources
- OceanJet — official schedule and fares
- OceanJet — FAQs and booking policies
- 2GO Travel — official site
- Cokaliong Shipping Lines — official schedule and rates
- FastCat — routes and schedules
- Pamasahe.com — route-by-route 2026 schedules and fares (OceanJet, 2GO, Cokaliong, Lite Ferries, FastCat, SuperCat)
- Route fares and pier assignments cross-checked against current operator listings and traveler reporting; confirm exact sailing days and pier before booking. Verified July 2026.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which is faster, OceanJet or 2GO?
OceanJet, by a lot. It's a fastcraft built for short hops — Cebu to Tagbilaran in about 2 hours. 2GO is an overnight liner built for long hauls like Cebu to Manila (about 24 hours) or Cagayan de Oro (about 8 hours), where there's no fastcraft option at all. They're not really competing for the same trip.
Is Lite Ferries or FastCat cheaper than OceanJet to Bohol?
Yes, considerably. Lite Ferries to Tagbilaran runs about ₱400–520 (roughly US$7–9) versus OceanJet's ₱1,000–1,560 (about US$17–27) for the same route. The trade-off is time: Lite Ferries takes about 4 hours versus OceanJet's 2, since it's a car-carrying RORO ferry, not a passenger fastcraft.
Can you book Cebu ferry tickets online?
OceanJet, 2GO, and FastCat all have working online booking (oceanjetonlinebooking.ph, 2goticket.ph, fastcat.ph), and third-party sites like 12Go and Pamasahe resell most operators too. Lite Ferries and Cokaliong lean more on terminal counters and phone bookings, though they do appear on some resale platforms. Book online for weekends, holidays, and Cagayan de Oro/Manila overnight sailings — those fill up.
Do you need to go to Bohol first to reach Siquijor or Dumaguete from Cebu?
For the fastcraft option, yes. There's no direct OceanJet run from Cebu to Siquijor or Dumaguete — both routes connect through Tagbilaran, Bohol, with a total travel time of around 4 hours 20 minutes including the transfer. Cokaliong runs a direct overnight boat straight to Dumaguete a few times a week if you'd rather skip the connection.
Which pier do these ferries leave from in Cebu?
It varies by operator, and assignments do shift, so confirm before you go. As of 2026: OceanJet mainly uses Pier 4, FastCat uses Pier 2, Lite Ferries and 2GO use Pier 1, and Cokaliong operates from its own terminal in the North Reclamation Area. None of them share one single 'Cebu port' — budget extra time if you're comparing tickets across operators in person.
Is 2GO or Cokaliong better for an overnight trip?
Both run overnight RORO liners with cabin options, and both serve Cagayan de Oro. 2GO has the bigger network (Manila, Davao, Iloilo, Bacolod) and a more modern online booking flow. Cokaliong is often a bit cheaper and is the more direct option if Dumaguete or Ormoc/Leyte is your destination. Check current schedules for both since sailing days are limited (often just two or three times a week per route).
Do child, senior, or PWD discounts apply to Cebu ferries?
Yes, most operators honor the standard 20% discount for students, seniors, and PWDs, but on OceanJet it typically only applies to tickets bought directly at the port counter, not online. Bring the physical ID (school ID, senior citizen ID, or PWD ID) — without it, the discount is refused at boarding.
What should you bring or expect at the terminal?
A valid government ID is required to board on every operator — no ID, no boarding, even with a valid ticket. Arrive at least 45–60 minutes early for fastcraft (OceanJet, FastCat, SuperCat) and 2 hours early for overnight liners (2GO, Cokaliong) for check-in and baggage screening. Terminal fees are usually built into the ticket price already.