Two operators publish a Cebu to Cagayan de Oro ferry schedule on their own websites today. Trans-Asia sails every day in both directions, leaving Cebu at 10:00 and Cagayan de Oro at 22:00, about 8 hours each way, while Cokaliong leaves at 19:00 three times a week in each direction and takes 12 hours. Fares read on 12 November 2026 start at PHP 1,686 for an economy bunk and reach PHP 8,640 for a three-person suite.
Cebu to CDO and CDO to Cebu ferry schedule
Both timetables were read on 12 November 2026, on Trans-Asia’s weekly schedule (9 to 29 November) and on Cokaliong’s live voyage feed.
Cebu to Cagayan de Oro departures
| Operator | Days and times from Cebu |
|---|---|
| Trans-Asia (MV Trans-Asia 21) | Every day. Leaves 10:00, arrives 18:00 the same day, 8 h. |
| Cokaliong (MV Filipinas Cagayan de Oro) | Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Leaves 19:00, arrives 07:00 the next morning, 12 h. |
Cagayan de Oro to Cebu departures
| Operator | Days and times from Cagayan de Oro |
|---|---|
| Trans-Asia (MV Trans-Asia 21) | Every day. Leaves 22:00, arrives 06:00 the next morning, 8 h. |
| Cokaliong (MV Filipinas Cagayan de Oro) | Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Leaves 19:00, arrives 07:00 the next morning, 12 h. |
One wrinkle on the Trans-Asia grid: for Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 November the return sailing was listed at 10:00, arriving 18:00, before going back to the usual 22:00 from 11 November. If you travel on a Monday or Tuesday, check the week’s grid rather than assuming the night boat.
Trans-Asia: daily, both ways, 8 hours, one ship doing the round trip. Cokaliong: three nights a week each way, 12 hours, 19:00 departure.
2GO and Lite Ferries: not confirmed today
2GO’s booking site refused automated reading on 12 November 2026, so no 2GO time or fare appears here. Search the route on travel.2go.com.ph yourself before trusting a third-party listing.
Lite Ferries shows Cagayan de Oro among the destinations on its own website, but its schedule page is empty and no Cebu to CDO time or fare could be read there. The company posts updates on its Facebook page, which is where to look.
Cebu to Cagayan ferry fares by class
Regular adult fares in Philippine pesos, per person unless a room is priced whole. Trans-Asia’s grid is dated 1 October 2026 and its Cebu departures carry a “Monday to Saturday” rate; a Sunday rate is mentioned but not printed.
| Class | Fare, one way |
|---|---|
| Economy, open-air bunk (both lines) | Trans-Asia 1,686 from Cebu, 1,827 from CDO. Cokaliong 1,686 either way. |
| Air-conditioned seat or lounge | Trans-Asia reclining seat 1,728 / 1,872. Cokaliong lounge 1,824. |
| Tourist, air-conditioned bunk | Trans-Asia 1,902 / 2,061. Cokaliong 1,902. |
| Tourist deluxe or business class | Trans-Asia tourist deluxe 2,760 / 2,990. Cokaliong business class (rooms for 8) 2,160. |
| Cabin bed | Trans-Asia 3,240 / 3,510. Cokaliong 2,400 in cabins for 4 to 12. |
| Private room or suite, whole room | Trans-Asia room for 2: 7,200 / 7,800. Cokaliong 2-bed cabin 5,040, suite for 2 5,760, suite for 3 8,640. |
Discounts for students, seniors and children
Trans-Asia publishes reduced fares on the same grid. On the Cebu to CDO economy bunk, a student pays 1,514.77, a senior or person with disability 1,348.80 and a minor 1,257.91, while infants travel free.
Cokaliong’s FAQ says children under 3 sail free and children from 3 to 11 pay half the regular fare. Seniors need a senior citizen ID or another ID showing they are at least 60, and students a school ID validated for the current term.
Why the fare can still move
Philippine ferry fares have been carrying a regulated fuel adjustment all year. MARINA, the maritime regulator, raised the ceiling on that adjustment to 15 percent on 19 October 2026 in Advisory 2026-61, calculated on each operator’s approved fare as of 28 February 2026, with immediate effect. Trans-Asia’s grid predates that advisory, so ask the counter whether the price you were quoted is still the one you will pay.
How that ceiling has moved since March is covered in the Cebu to Dumaguete ferry guide.
Which pier in Cebu, and the port in Cagayan de Oro
The two lines do not leave from the same pier in Cebu, which is the most common way to lose an hour on departure day.
Cebu: Pier 3 or Pier 4
Trans-Asia checks passengers in at CPA Terminal 2, Pier 3. Its guidelines describe the sequence: ticket to the guard at the terminal door, bags through the X-ray, check-in at the Trans-Asia counter inside, then the terminal fee before the boarding gate.
Cokaliong docks most of its ships at Pier 1, but its FAQ makes an exception for this route: the Cebu to Cagayan de Oro ship berths at Pier 4. Tell your taxi driver the pier number, not just “the port”.
Cagayan de Oro: Macabalan port
Both operators use the port in Barangay Macabalan, Cagayan de Oro, where Trans-Asia also has its provincial ticket office. Trans-Asia’s check-in there runs through two buildings: bags are X-rayed at the Amenity Building, then again at the PTV Building, where you pay the terminal fee and check in.
The same guidelines list a Higala QR code that the guard asks for at the Amenity Building. They do not explain how to get it, so ask the operator before the trip rather than at the gate.
Bunks, cabins and baggage on board
Trans-Asia describes the classes on MV Trans-Asia 21 on its fleet page. Second class non-aircon is an open-air deck of double bunks, tourist an air-conditioned room of bunks with shared toilets, and tourist deluxe a larger mixed-gender air-conditioned bunk room for small groups.
- Reclining seats: an air-conditioned room of seats, the budget pick if you sail by day.
- Cabin: air-conditioned, mixed-gender, single beds and a private toilet, for three to five people.
- Private room: two single beds and a private bathroom.
Baggage allowance on Trans-Asia is 50 kg in second class and tourist, 100 kg in cabins and private rooms. Anything over that, or anything classed as commercial goods, is charged as cargo.
Booking, check-in and the terminal fee
The two lines sell and board differently.
- Trans-Asia sells online through the Chelsea Travel booking platform and at its ticketing outlets. The e-ticket can be shown as a PDF on your phone.
- Be at the Trans-Asia terminal 2 hours before departure. The company may cancel the ticket of a passenger who has not checked in 30 minutes before sailing, and asks for a physical ID.
- Cokaliong sells at its offices and authorized outlets, up to two weeks ahead. It wants you on board 2 hours before departure and does not take chance passengers once a sailing is full.
The terminal fee is paid at the port, separately from your ticket. Neither operator prints the amount, and Trans-Asia notes that it varies by port, so keep some cash for it.
If this crossing is one leg of a longer trip, the Philippines travel budget breakdown puts ferry costs next to everything else.
Bad weather, cancellations and the Mindanao advisory
The UK Foreign Office notes that about twenty typhoons hit the Philippines each year, most between June and November. When a storm cancels a sailing, both lines say what happens to your ticket.
- Trans-Asia: if a typhoon cancels your trip, you can take a refund or rebook at its main and provincial offices.
- Cokaliong: refunds and rebookings are handled at its offices within 60 days of the ticket purchase, subject to surcharges, and you must hand in the original ticket.
Between June and November, do not put a flight out of Cebu or Cagayan de Oro on the morning this boat is due in.
Cagayan de Oro is on Mindanao, and two official advisories read on 12 November 2026 cover it. The UK FCDO advice is against all but essential travel to Mindanao outside Camiguin, Dinagat and Siargao, and Canada lists Misamis Oriental, the province around the city, under “avoid non-essential travel”. Read your own government’s advisory and check that your travel insurance still covers you before booking.
Flying from Cebu to Cagayan de Oro instead
Philippine Airlines flies Cebu (CEB) to Cagayan de Oro (CGY). Its route page, read on 12 November 2026, advertised all-in fares from PHP 2,000 one way and showed round-trip economy fares from 3,934 seen for early December, which puts a cheap flight in the same range as a tourist bunk.
Check the airline’s booking engine for your actual date, and add the ride from the airport into town to your plans. Cebu Pacific’s own route pages could not be read on 12 November 2026, so its service on this pair is not confirmed here.
If you are heading to Mindanao from Bohol rather than Cebu, Trans-Asia also runs Tagbilaran to Cagayan de Oro three times a week; the ports and fast craft on the Bohol side are in the Cebu to Bohol ferry guide.
Frequently asked questions
What time does the ferry leave Cebu for Cagayan de Oro?
Trans-Asia leaves Cebu every day at 10:00 and arrives at 18:00. Cokaliong leaves at 19:00 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and arrives at 07:00 the next morning. Both were read on the operators’ sites on 12 November 2026.
How much is the ferry from Cebu to Cagayan de Oro?
From PHP 1,686 for an economy bunk on either line, 1,902 in tourist class, and 5,040 to 8,640 for a whole private room.
How long is the boat ride from CDO to Cebu?
About 8 hours on Trans-Asia, which leaves Cagayan de Oro at 22:00 and docks in Cebu at 06:00. About 12 hours on Cokaliong, from 19:00 to 07:00.
Is there a daily ferry from Cagayan de Oro to Cebu?
Yes, Trans-Asia sails every day at 22:00. Cokaliong adds three sailings a week, on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at 19:00.
Where is the Trans-Asia terminal in Cebu?
At CPA Terminal 2, Pier 3, in the Cebu City port area. Cokaliong’s Cagayan de Oro ship uses Pier 4 instead.
Can you bring a car on the Cebu to CDO ferry?
Trans-Asia’s FAQ says most of its passenger ships are RORO vessels, and that a paid rolling cargo from SUV size upward comes with a free second class non-aircon ticket. You pay the port terminal fee at the origin port. Ask Cokaliong directly for vehicle rates.