Mega Value, Tourist or a Cabin: Choosing Your Bed on an Overnight Philippine Ferry
The boat leaves at the same time whichever bed you buy. What changes is how many strangers sleep within arm's reach, and on the Cebu night boats a door costs only a few hundred pesos more.
On an overnight ferry the ticket is a bed, and the class is a decision about how many strangers sleep within arm’s reach of you. That is most of it. The boat leaves at the same time and arrives at the same time whichever bed you bought.
Pay for Mega Value and you share a long, cold, air-conditioned hall with a few hundred people, which is fine for one night and a long ask for a family. Pay for a cabin and you get a door. The jump between them is usually smaller than people expect.
Port of Cebu · 10.2970° N, 123.9050° E · Class names and rules checked October 2026
The short answer: which class to book
- Alone, on a budget, a 10 to 12 hour crossing: Mega Value or the economy bunk. You will sleep.
- A couple on a 20-hour crossing like Manila to Cebu: a Business Class cabin for two, or a State Room if the trip is the holiday.
- A family with small kids: a cabin for four. Kids nap better behind a door, and so does everyone near them.
- A barkada: a Business Class cabin for six or eight, split. Per head it is often close to a Tourist bed.
The classes on 2GO, explained
2GO runs the long overnight routes out of Manila, and its class names now differ from ship to ship. The newer vessels, Masinag, Masigla, Masikap, Masagana and Maligaya, sell Mega Value, Tourist or Tourist Premium, Business Class, State Rooms and Suites. The older St. ships still sell Super Value and Cabins. The booking page shows the classes for the exact vessel on your date, and that list is the one that counts.
Pick a bed
What each class actually buys you
Tap a class. The lit deck is roughly where it sits on a 2GO ship. Fares are one bed, Manila to Cebu, as listed on a ticket reseller in September 2026, before the fuel surcharge moves them. Another reseller listed Mega Value at ₱1,909 the same month, so treat these as the low end.
Super Value
Open bunks, no aircon
from about ₱1,100 Manila to Cebu
Only on some of the older St. ships. Fans, sea air and a lot of neighbors. Cheapest bed on board, and the warmest.
Mega Value
Open bunks, aircon, shared toilets
from about ₱1,300 Manila to Cebu
The default. A long air-conditioned hall of double-deck bunks. You get a numbered bed, not a room. Bring a jacket and earplugs.
Tourist
Aircon bunks in a smaller section
from about ₱1,700 Manila to Cebu
Fewer people per section, and on newer ships Tourist Premium comes as rooms for two or four. Read the layout on your ship before paying the difference.
Business Class
Private aircon cabin with bunks
from about ₱1,900 Manila to Cebu
A door that closes, usually for two, four or six. Toilets are often still shared down the corridor. The best value step up for a family.
State Room and Suite
Double bed, private bathroom
from about ₱6,900 per room Manila to Cebu
A hotel room that floats, priced like one. Worth it for a couple on a 20-hour crossing. Hard to justify on a 10-hour one.
Class names from 2GO, checked October 2026. Layouts differ ship to ship.
Two things come with every bed whichever class you pick. Meals are included in the fare, and so is the linen. On most sailings the dorm classes eat from the buffet at Island Fiesta and the cabin classes are served at Horizon Cafe, though that split is reported by ticket sellers rather than spelled out by 2GO, so treat it as usual rather than guaranteed.
The Cebu night boats are a different menu
Out of Cebu, overnight runs to Mindanao and Panay are sailed by Cokaliong and Trans-Asia among others, with Roble and Lite Ferries on the Leyte and Bohol night routes, and their classes go by other names. Cokaliong sells Economy, Lounge, Tourist, Business Class, Cabins for two to twelve, and Suites. Trans-Asia sells Second Class in non-aircon, aircon seated and aircon lying versions, then Tourist, Tourist Deluxe, a shared Cabin and a Private Room.
The prices sit closer together than on the Manila boats. Cokaliong’s Cebu to Cagayan de Oro fares listed in September 2026 ran from ₱1,405 for Economy to ₱2,000 for a cabin berth, with a cabin room at ₱4,200 and a suite for two at ₱4,800; Trans-Asia listed ₱1,827 for Second Class up to ₱7,800 for a private room. Fuel moves them, so use them to compare classes, not to budget to the peso.
On Cokaliong the gap between the bottom bunk and a cabin berth is about ₱600. That is the cheapest good night’s sleep in the country.
Check-in, baggage and the clock
2GO asks passengers to be at the check-in counter at least four hours before departure, and boarding gates close one hour before. Bring the printed eTicket itinerary and a valid photo ID. The free baggage allowance has been reported at 50 kilos, which surprises everyone who has flown recently; confirm it on the booking page. Commercial goods above that are charged by the kilo.
Four hours is a lot of terminal. Eat before you arrive, charge everything, and read how early to actually arrive for a Philippine ferry for the version of the rule that fits smaller operators. The full baggage picture, including the 15 kilo myth, is in the ferry baggage guide.
The night itself
The dorm decks are big rooms with the lights half on all night. Someone is always watching a video without earphones, and someone is always snoring. Neither is anyone’s fault. Earplugs and an eye mask do more for a Mega Value night than any upgrade.
The air conditioning in the big halls runs cold and passengers do not control it. Pack a jacket or a malong. Keep your phone, wallet and ID in a small bag that sleeps with you, not in the main bag at the foot of the bunk. Do not count on a socket beside your bed. A full power bank is the plan.
If the sea gets up overnight, the bunks in the middle of the ship and low down move least. The longer explanation is in where to sit if you get seasick.
The annoying parts
- The fare you saw is not the fare you pay. 2GO adjusts a fuel surcharge, most recently. Book early and screenshot the price.
- Rebooking costs money. 2GO allows changes only before departure, under its published rebooking rules. Once the ship sails, the ticket is gone.
- Weather wins. When the Coast Guard stops sailings, nobody leaves. What you are owed when that happens is in the ferry refund guide.
- “Shared toilet” means a lot of people. On a full dorm deck, go early in the evening and early in the morning, not at 6:30 AM with everyone else.
- Class names do not travel between companies. Tourist on one line is not Tourist on another. Read what the bed is, not what it is called.
There are 7,641 islands, and for most of them the boat is still how you get there, which is the whole idea behind the 7641 Islands tee.
Overnight ferry FAQ
What is the difference between Mega Value and Tourist on 2GO?
Mega Value is an open air-conditioned hall of double-deck bunks with shared toilets. Tourist puts fewer people in a smaller section, and on newer ships Tourist Premium comes as rooms for two or four. In September 2026 reseller listings for Manila to Cebu, Mega Value started around ₱1,300 and Tourist around ₱1,700.
Are meals included on 2GO?
Yes. Ticket sellers list meals and linen as included in the 2GO fare.
How early should I arrive for a 2GO ferry?
2GO asks passengers to be at check-in at least four hours before departure. Boarding gates close one hour before departure.
How much baggage can I bring on 2GO?
The free allowance is 50 kilos per passenger. Commercial goods, appliances and sports equipment above that are charged.
Is Business Class on a ferry worth it?
For couples and families on long crossings, usually yes. It is a private cabin with bunks, and on many routes it costs only a few hundred pesos more than a Tourist bed.
Which companies run overnight ferries from Cebu?
Overnight operators out of Cebu include Cokaliong, Trans-Asia, Roble and Lite Ferries, with 2GO on the Manila route. Their class names differ, so compare what the bed includes rather than the label.
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Seven thousand islands, and a bunk to reach them
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