Cruisin' to Iloilo and Bacolod : 2GO Travel Adventures (Part 1)

Wazzup Pilipinas!


Do we always need to be in a hurry? Should we always race against time? Should we make every moment count as if it was our last day on Earth? I know that life has a lot of responsibilities that need to be addressed immediately, but there should also be times when we need to let loose and let go of the complexities and priorities so we could relax and re-energize.

Pause for awhile, pamper yourself, indulge on your favorites, give in to the temptations and you'll be surprised that you're now looking differently at the world. All it takes is a short pause good enough to show you a different perspective of the world around you.

Taking a flight across the different islands is a splendid adventure! However, your adventure usually starts when you arrive at your destination. Many should also consider making use of the travel time as part of the adventure. It's an unexplored opportunity to bond with friends and families - to strengthen the ties that unite by simply having more time to cuddle up in bed or breathe the fresh and warm sea air aboard a cruise ship via 2GO Travel.

Our adventure began at The Hub @Kilometer Zero located at Luneta Park. It was so easy to find it, just plan ahead bu Googling its location or ask around Luneta Park and you'll be shown the way.

It was a great place to start your trip to any destination. 2GO Travel passengers can relax, dine or drink, surf the web, check their emails and social media accounts, and meet new acquaintances, while waiting for their cruise. 

They also have very clean and spacious toilets. Here's hoping they could maintain it as it is since it is open to the public.

The Hub showcases almost everything you'll find on board their ships. Clean, comfy and spacious areas to hang out. There was so much space to place our luggage and the staff were attentive to our needs. We were served coffee, and were given the password to their wi-fi so we could pass the time conveniently.

They also have plenty of seats and tables where we can have your snacks or meals, and something like a swing - now that's amazing already because it will be a great attraction if you had kids with you. The trip has not even started yet the kids, and the kids at heart - are already enjoying themselves.

Throw pillows even adorned the swing so it won't be surprising if you fell asleep in one of these. I saw two of them at The Hub, but one swing can sit at least three.

A magenta 2GO Travel bus was there to take us to our ship docked at a pier nearby.

But before we begin our adventure, no less than the Vice President of 2GO, Stephen Rey Tagud - acting as the Passage Business Commercial Officer - shared a few words with us. Too bad he will not be able to join us as originally planned.

Fellow travelers joined us for a brief orientation. I believe there was a total of 16 of us (I know a few of them since they were also bloggers I meet during events, and are even members of Wazzup Pilipinas, but many I met for the first time only that day), not counting the organizers from Tagline and the 2GO management staff.

Before traveling aboard the 2GO Travel cruise ship, we were served a satisfactory lunch to keep us full until our final departure.

All of us were carrying clothes good for three days and two nights plus our gadgets like cameras, laptops, and tablets - of course our mobile phones. I even brought along my portable wifi. I really plan to keep myself connected with the rest of the world while we were away on a cruise. 

But too bad technology in the Philippines was still not that advance as we rarely have a signal across the sea. It's either slow or intermittent, so I had to settle with a few of the local channels on TV to spend some of the available free time just to get a glimpse of what's happening way back in Manila. 

With our cameras at hand and the rest of our gear, we set foot on the St. Michael the Archangel cruise ship on our way to Iloilo, and then Bacolod.

The 2GO Travel crew and trainees on board the St. Michale the Archangel greeted us with the sweetest smiles and I also requested them to do the traditional Wazzup Pilipinas video greeting as can be seen below.

 

"Wazzup Pilipinas! Welcome to 2GO Travel!!!"

Before the ship departed from the shores of Manila, we were also toured around the St. Michael the Archangel ship, from the facilities, the rooms, and including the Captain's bridge and command center.

They have a 24x7 operational clinic with one doctor and nurse on board to treat the patients of minor sickness and injuries. Will the ship go back to Manila in case of emergencies they can't handle on board? It will depend on their distance from each location - either they go back or move forward. But we were assured that the priority will always be our health and safety.

They have several types of rooms starting with the Mega Value, Super Value, Tourist, State Room, and the VIP, plus there's an Airline Seater which cost just less than 1K.

A gold and silver St Michael the Archangel signage with a large SAFETY FIRST marked down below. Giving the paasengers assurance that their are riding with people that are concerned with their welfare.

There was a tarp to greet us for this Bloggers' Event to travel on our way to Iloilo and Bacolod - we also did a short tour at those places and saw some of the tourist attractions briefly.

You will often see the ship's crew grouped every morning  for their daily orientation and reporting perhaps.

The first thing that will greet you up front of the ship are the steps.

The main dining area can accommodate a huge crowd. The seats are comfy and classy enough similar to what you see in hotels.

More semi-circle seats at the main dining area with windows to give you a view of the sea and the islands that we pass by.

They also have a dining area exclusive for the VIP and State Room passengers. You will probably see a lot of trainees from different colleges assisting you and they may not be the same individuals to assist you the next day as they are given different assignments as per their training requirements. I've talked with some of the trainees and they told me that they are given exposure in all activities on board - its a great way to train them and learn the ways to probably become the next generation of crew.

The Airline Seaters are the most affordable yet the seats are similar to the ones you'll find on board a plane. For those in a budget, you may opt to just get this one. Anyway, you are allowed to go around the ship unlike a plane where you are stuck in your seat.

The Captain's bridge or what I like to call as his "command center" is where Captain Ariel hangs out most of the time.I made a short interview with the Captain and learned a lot from the guy in just a few minutes.

I've learned that his first job straight after graduating from college was with Negros Navigation, one of the entities that now makes up 2GO Travel along with Aboitiz. So if you are wondering why you don't see Negros Navigation or 2GO Travel nowadays, they've actually combined their resources to now become the biggest shipping company in the Philippines.

Captain Ariel is also a happily married father of four kids, and has been working with the 2GO Group (he started when it was still Negros Navigation) for 35 years already. Such dedication and loyalty deserving of a recognition and an award. Ten years of surviving with a company is already a great accomplishment, what more 35 years. Wow!!!

I'm sure there are plenty of reasons why he chose to stay for so many years with the company - and probably an equal number of reasons why you should consider traveling via ship to reach your preferred destinations.

There were plenty of men manning the ship that day, according to the Captain, he has a first, second and third mate doing shifting assigned with him to manage the ship and make sure everything is under control.

The captain was wearing the operational clothes as their work attire and not the usual uniform with a hat. He said that they only wear the standard uniform during start and end of a cruise. So if you want to see him dressed up the traditional way, you'll get a better chance at the first or last day of voyage.

Of course, I wouldn't miss an opportunity to do some photo ops with the captain, and also took a photo of the entire team, as well as a video greeting from them. It was amazing I was able to make them shout the traditional Wazzup Pilipinas greeting.

I was able to persuade the Captain, along with his mates and other crew from the bridge, to make the traditional Wazzup Pilipinas video greeting! Excellent!!!

Thank you for giving in to my request, guys!!!

The rest of the hours were a lot of views of the sea and of the islands that we pass by. How did I spend it? Well, they have a salon on board - I had a haircut plus a back massage!

Took a lot of photos of the sea, and the islands that we passed by.

I also took some photos of the ship's facilities. Many can be seen at the Wazzup Pilipinas Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/wazzuppilipinas

There were less than a thousand passengers on board, some of them were also at the viewing decks taking advantage of the great view and enjoying some heat and wind as compared to the totally air-conditioned facilities of the ship. It was so cold inside that I had to wear a jacket most of the time.

I also requested a few video greetings and interviews from both the passengers and the crew, and will share them within several parts of this Cruisin' to Iloilo and Bacolod adventure. The video above is one of the best one I got - aside from the interview, they also gave me some samples of their great voices singing acapella. 

It was more than just an interview, it was a display of magnificent talent coming form the youth. You can sense their enthusiasm as they share their passion towards their singing talent and their studies to become future members of the working force of maybe 2GO Travel or other businesses where they can find their luck....and who knows may be they will become the next generation of leaders - what a harmonious future it will surely be. Keep singing, guys!!!

There's a lot more videos on my Pinoy Tekkie YouTube channel.

The rest of the day were were spent listening to the crazy antics of a stand-up comedian called Maui Pacquiao Supsup, plus a trio of singers composed of one male and two female performers who shared some popular songs, plus some games for both the bloggers and other passengers who joined us throughout the night in fun and laughter.

More videos from the other bloggers who participated in the Karaoke singing challenge can be found on my Pinoy Tekkie YouTube channel.

The adventure continues here aboard St. Michael the Archangel ship of 2GO Travel, and will be posted soon on Part 2 of my Cruisin' to Iloilo and Bacolod blogs.

Meantime, I have to spend the rest of the evening listening to the humorous stories from my room mates, Paul, Allan and Rodel. Allan shared the most intriguing topics as he questioned why tentacles are so wrong to name the eight feet of a squid, and other conspiracies surrounding everyday life especially media.

Part 2 will tell the stories of our road trip in Iloilo and then Bacolod so be sure to watch out for it! Thank you and hope you are already wanting to go on a cruise aboard a 2GO Travel ship. I guarantee it will be loads of fun!

Part 3 will be dedicated to the people I met on board the St. Michael the Archangel ship.

If you haven't read Part 2 and 3, be sure to read it also. Here are the links:

Cruisin' to Iloilo and Bacolod : 2GO Travel Adventures (Part 2)

Cruisin' to Iloilo and Bacolod : 2GO Travel Adventures (Part 3)

More photos can be seen at the Wazzup Pilipinas Facebook fan page : https://www.facebook.com/wazzuppilipinas

Please also visit the 2GO Travel website: http://travel.2go.com.ph/ or Facebook page page: https://www.facebook.com/2GoTravel

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