Manila - Port and Transportation Information

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

I was wondering if anyone could give me information on where the cruise port is located in Manila.  It sounds like on the western side of the Manila area with the Intramuros area not terribly far away.  But I know distances can be deceiving, especially in a place like Manila which is known for its traffic. If I'm just interested in getting to the Fort Santiago area and around there, will there likely be taxis or jeepneys or a shuttle I can take? It looks like there is a bus (line 2) not too far away as well, but while I'm confident about taking buses in Europe, I'm less confident about taking them in the Phillippines!  (Will I recognize where to get the bus?  Need pesos?  Will I even recognize the bus?!)  Can anyone tell me about Manila?

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

I will be on a cruise ship, coming from Puerto Princesa and Coron, and then arriving in Manila on the ship.  It's my understanding that the port that cruises use is up north, and I see a lot of long docks in several areas.  But I don't know which docks the cruise lines use and which ones the ferries use. 

[ROCruiser]

Our ship (Cunard Queen Elizabeth) docked at the pier near Rizal Park March 2023. We also had a day at Puerto Princesa before Manila. We just walked around Rizal Park on that day and stayed near port because it was a Saturday. Was told not to wander too far because of weekend traffic.

[hamachi555]

On 8/12/2023 at 8:03 AM, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

I will be on a cruise ship, coming from Puerto Princesa and Coron, and then arriving in Manila on the ship.  It's my understanding that the port that cruises use is up north, and I see a lot of long docks in several areas.  But I don't know which docks the cruise lines use and which ones the ferries use. 

It will be docking at Manila South Harbor.Yes you will need pesos.Transportation is available  by the docks.Fort Santiago is around 1.5 miles away , 30 minutes walk. Move towards 25th st., all the way to Bonifacio Dr ( Roxas Blvd) ,cross it....turn left. When you reach the roundabout, stay right along Soriano Ave.You will see the Manila Cathedral on you rightside, then turn left to Gen. Luna to Fort Santiago.

[smartpeach]

I don’t recommend you walk to Fort Santiago. The humidity, heat and pollution is just too much. It’s also not very safe if you stand out as foreigner.
 

You can take the taxi or download GRAB (similar to Uber) on your phone. Depending on the traffic, it can take anywhere from 30 minutes ti 1 hour to get to Fort Santiago. 

[cruiseaholic78]

This is a useful website for finding information regarding port information, tips for trips and maps.

https://www.whatsinport.com/Manila.htm

of course not just Manila but anywhere in the world!

Happy planning

Rosalyn

[tim_london0]

Am I allowed to reopen this discussion, as I have the same question for my Cunard Cruise exactly a year from now.

 

I can see that today's cruise ship (the last one for several months), Serenade Of The Seas is docked by 25th Street?  Can I expect QE2 to dock at the same place?

 

As to walking into town from, there.  I get that it might be hot and stuffy (todays temp, 33C, real feel 37C, 50% humidity), but why might it been unsafe for foreigners?  It's right next to the Historic old city, surely the area is teaming with tourists? If this area is unsafe to walk around on my own, where can I go that's safe?  (I have another trip with a 2 day stopover in Manila to explore on my own, where I am not on a cruise ship.)

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

On 3/24/2024 at 3:05 AM, tim_london0 said:

Am I allowed to reopen this discussion, as I have the same question for my Cunard Cruise exactly a year from now.

 

I can see that today's cruise ship (the last one for several months), Serenade Of The Seas is docked by 25th Street?  Can I expect QE2 to dock at the same place?

 

As to walking into town from, there.  I get that it might be hot and stuffy (todays temp, 33C, real feel 37C, 50% humidity), but why might it been unsafe for foreigners?  It's right next to the Historic old city, surely the area is teaming with tourists? If this area is unsafe to walk around on my own, where can I go that's safe?  (I have another trip with a 2 day stopover in Manila to explore on my own, where I am not on a cruise ship.)

We were in Manila last month on a Saturday on Oceania Riviera, and docked where you anticipate docking.  Before my cruise, I looked at Marine Traffic when I knew a ship was scheduled to dock in Manila, and the 3 or 4 I saw all docked there.  (It's the Eva M cruise terminal, Berth 15 in South Harbour).

 

I walked out of the terminal intending to go to Intramuros (old city).  I had a map excerpt, plus I had my phone with me, pre-loaded with Philippines maps.  But I didn't want to look like a tourist (which is stupid, because it's so easy to look like a tourist when you get off a cruise ship) so I didn't use a map.  I ended up at one edge of Rizal Park, which I had also wanted to see, so it was OK. But then I decided I would prefer to see a bit of Intramuros, and was afraid it was too far to walk from where I was.  There were tuk tuk drivers at the park, so I asked for an hour or so tour of Intramuros.  The person wanted more but settled for $30 and took me around there, stopping at the cathedral and fort so I could visit each for a short while.  He took me back to the port entrance, with a very short walk to the port terminal. 

 

In very early February the weather was not all that hot/humid, at least in my opinion -- and especially compared to Singapore, where my adventure started.  The traffic was also not as bad as I had anticipated.  I ended up going back out that afternoon on the shuttle to a mall, and walking a bit more in the city - not bad.  And while there were lots of assertive vendors in the city once you left the gated port area, I felt safe everywhere.  I just had to ignore politely and say no thank you a lot. Early on, one kalesa (carriage) driver followed me on the street for three or four blocks, trying to convince me to go with him.  But I wasn't looking for a ride at that time.  He tried hard but was not threatening in any way. I'm not sure how long it took to walk from the ship to one side of Rizal Park, but I'm thinking maybe 15 minutes or so.  To Intramuros it would be more, however.

 

There were no taxis or tuks at the port terminal itself, but plenty of eager vendors outside on the streets.  There were also lots of people who I believe might have been waiting for crew members to come that way.  Our ship had 100 people either going home after completing their contracts or being allowed to visit people for a few hours outside the port.

 

Other info: The tuk driver accepted USD; I imagine many others do in the Philippines. There were vendors in the port terminal selling reasonably-nice souvenirs (accepting both USD & P pesos).  

 

Manila was certainly not my favorite port on this cruise, but it was really nice to be able to just walk off the ship and find things to do and see.  Many SE Asia ports are not like that.  I didn't take a lot of pictures but they are here if you'd like to look (no sign in needed):https://pbase.com/roothy123/manila_for_a_day_feb_2024&page=all

[tim_london0]

Oh Wow, thanks' for so much information.

 

Tuk Tuks, I hadn't thought of that.  Though even $30 for an hour sounds like too much, or thinking in a philanthropic way giving someone a tiny windfall is a nice gesture.

 

I have 2 other tours to Manila scheduled within the next year (I didn't plan it like, that it just happened) and they are going to take me (hopefully in a Van) around Intramuros  and Chinatown, and even going to the American Cemetery.  So I am looking for off the beaten track stuff to do on this visit.

 

And the only thing I can find is the Bamboo Organ, but that way too far to walk, or a complicated bus journey, so the Tuk Tuk would be best.

 

Oh well I have plenty of time to plan (and a prior visit to help me)

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

On 3/26/2024 at 3:07 AM, tim_london0 said:

Oh Wow, thanks' for so much information.

 

Tuk Tuks, I hadn't thought of that.  Though even $30 for an hour sounds like too much, or thinking in a philanthropic way giving someone a tiny windfall is a nice gesture.

 

I have 2 other tours to Manila scheduled within the next year (I didn't plan it like, that it just happened) and they are going to take me (hopefully in a Van) around Intramuros  and Chinatown, and even going to the American Cemetery.  So I am looking for off the beaten track stuff to do on this visit.

 

And the only thing I can find is the Bamboo Organ, but that way too far to walk, or a complicated bus journey, so the Tuk Tuk would be best.

 

Oh well I have plenty of time to plan (and a prior visit to help me)

$30 probably was too much.  I'm just not into bargaining much, so I took the easy way out. And if I had bargained with some of the folks closer to the port, I imagine I could have gotten a better price compared to deciding to use a tuk when I got to the park.  

 

I didn't really look for things to do in Manila, as I had been a little afraid of the traffic, and and the fact that it was Saturday, and right before Lunar New Year (people EVERYWHERE all throughout SE Asia). I had considered walking to the river to take a boat up (or down?) the river from Intramuros just for something different.  But then I read the closest stop was not open due to renovation or whatever.  And I considered the American Cemetery (with my spouse), Bamboo Organ, and Imelda shoes at the museum cross town, but never made it.  I also considered walking south from the port to the waterfront to see what was there (some kind of promenade).  And I knew there was a jitney bus that came near the port, but wasn't feeling very adventuresome that day.....so I just decided to take it pretty easy that day.