Access Cebu. your comprehensive guide to Cebu with detailed wheelchair user information.

Traveling by boat or ship

Boarding

Now there is a situation that almost certainly requires help, getting on to a boat or ship being physicall limited will need some porters to carry you up or down the often narrow stairs, and these men work as porters for a living so you will have to pay them for their service. The amount is not great and should be negotiated beforehand. Again, the leaner you are the easier it is getting on the ship, sometimes the stairs are so narrow that the wheelchair has to be collapsed and carried separately, the person can hich a ride piggyback.

On Board

There are steps everywhere, going into the toilet, to the cabin or the restaurant, so you will have to ask for assistance. The boardwalks are usually crammed with people, their baggage, life chicken in a box, sacks of rice and whatever else is carried on board. So this may limit your radius of movement, just try to sneak your way around. The better and bigger the liner, the easier it gets and the more organized it is. Cruising on a decrepit old boat somewhere in the provinces is not the same as booking a ticket on a liner that connects the bigger cities.

Bancas (Outrigger)

For short boat trips a banca is the most common mode of sea transport. There again, one of the crew will carry you over the narrow, swaying gangplank or through the water if berthed on a beach, just trust them, they won't drop you. Once on the banca you can arrange your seating as is best for you, the benches are made of wood without any foam, so you might want to use your cushion as padding.

Bigger bancas may have space for you to remain in the chair, but make sure you get a good grip to hold on, wheelchairs to not float.

Fast Ferries

There are a number of fast ferries serving the archipelago, out of Cebu operate companies like SuperCat and OceanJet, connecting ports within the Visayas.
These vessels are pretty much wheelchair accessible, the ramp may have a little step but you should be able to board without help. The seating is comfortable and there is room enough to navigate through the aisles.

Vehicle Ferry

If you travel by car or bus, the nautical highway allows you to bring your motor vehicle on board the numerous barges, on a short trip you may want to remain in the vehicle or on the parking deck, else you will be carried upstairs to access the passengers lounge. Again, stairways are most often narrow and steep. Read more...

For shipping schedule, please check the link page.