Cebu

Yixing is a Chinese-speaking travel agency in Manila and a Philippine ground operator. Cebu is not sold here as a fixed package: we build and price each trip around your dates, your group and the direction you want to go. Below is exactly which parts we handle in Cebu, and for each one, where our work ends and yours begins.

1｜Airport transfers

• We do: transfers between Mactan-Cebu International Airport and your place on Mactan Island or in Cebu City. We track your actual landing time from the flight number, wait through delays, meet you at arrivals with a name board, help with luggage and take you to the door. Late-night and early-morning arrivals are fine.
• You do: give us the exact flight number, arrival date and time, number of people and bags, and the name and address of where you are staying. If your flight changes, tell your advisor straight away so we can re-book the driver.

2｜Vehicle and driver

• We do: a private vehicle by the day, sized to your group and luggage. Departure time, stops and waiting time are written into the plan before anyone drives anywhere. The east coast and the west coast are different directions, so we put them on separate days at the planning stage rather than letting you lose a day in the car.
• You do: confirm the next day's departure time and destination the evening before. If you want to add a stop or extend the vehicle on the day, tell the driver or your advisor first - time beyond the plan is recalculated on actual use, never charged behind your back.

3｜Chinese-speaking companion

• We do: assign a Chinese-speaking companion by the day to interpret, explain, deal with restaurants, sites and local operators, and be the first responder if something goes wrong before looping in your advisor.
• You do: tell us whether you want this for the whole trip or only certain days. It is priced per day and entirely optional - a vehicle without a companion is fine.

4｜Island hopping and boat trips: arranging and booking

• We do: select the operator, book the slot, watch the assembly time and arrange the vehicle to and from the pier. Before you board we check a few things for you: enough life vests in the right sizes including children's, no overloading, and whether the Coast Guard has suspended sailings that day. We also schedule boat trips mid-itinerary rather than on the last day, so there is room to redo them.
• You do: boat trips are run by licensed local operators (the boat, guides and equipment are theirs) and their on-site safety briefing governs. Tell us at booking if anyone cannot swim or has a heart condition, is pregnant, and so on, so we can arrange something else.

5｜Accommodation booking

• We do: recommend an area that matches your budget and your route (Mactan is closer to the airport, the city is closer to the old town), book it and send you the confirmation.
• You do: give us each guest's name exactly as spelled in their travel document. Changes and cancellations follow the property's own rules; we apply on your behalf but cannot guarantee the outcome.

6｜Admissions and meals within the itinerary

• We do: arrange in advance the admissions and any activity that needs booking or registration, as written in your plan; suggest and reserve restaurants around your tastes and restrictions, and adjust on the day if you change your mind.
• You do: sites, meals and personal spending added outside the plan are settled by you on the day. Some sites and activities take cash only, so carry small notes.

7｜The Cebu-Bohol crossing

• We do: book the boat, arrange the vehicle to the pier and the one meeting you on arrival, and pass on schedule changes and weather suspensions. We never schedule a crossing on the same day as an international connection.
• You do: tickets are issued in the name on your travel document, so the spelling must be exact. If sailings are suspended, changes and refunds follow the operator's rules and we apply on your behalf.

8｜Emergency coordination during the trip

• We do: before you travel you get a named Chinese-speaking contact and a number that is staffed on the day. For cancelled flights, suspended sailings, illness or lost documents, come to us first and we coordinate the re-booking, the vehicles, the accommodation and where to seek medical care.
• You do: contact us rather than arguing it out on the spot. Medical treatment and claims follow your own policy, so please insure yourself before travelling and check whether snorkelling, diving and island hopping are covered.

Want to read up on Cebu itself - what to see and how many days? That is in our guides, not repeated here: Cebu attractions by type: old city, islands and the south ｜ Mactan-Cebu airport: terminals, arrival and getting to the city and piers ｜ Cebu to Bohol: which pier, how long, and how to check suspensions. Then send your dates and group size to an advisor and we will build the plan around them.

How to book: five steps

• Step 1 - tell us what you need: dates, group size, inbound and outbound flights, the direction you want to go or anything already booked. WeChat, WhatsApp, Telegram, LINE or any of the contacts at the bottom of this page.
• Step 2 - we send a plan: a day-by-day draft stating the vehicle each day, what is included, where you stay, and the price.
• Step 3 - revise until it fits: before you confirm, change anything - days, accommodation level, activities - and the price is recalculated.
• Step 4 - confirm and book: once you approve the plan we start making the actual bookings (accommodation, boats, vehicles, activity slots) and send you the confirmations.
• Step 5 - travel: before departure you receive your contact person and driver details for the day.

What we need from you

• Group size, and whether anyone is elderly, a child, pregnant or has limited mobility;
• Inbound and outbound flight numbers and dates, and your start and end times in Cebu;
• Accommodation preference: Mactan or the city, room type and rough level;
• The direction you want to go or activities already booked, plus dietary and language needs;
• Each traveller's name exactly as spelled in their travel document - accommodation and boat tickets are issued that way.

How far ahead to book

There is no hard cut-off, but plans usually go through a few rounds of revisions, and accommodation and boats tighten up in peak periods (Christmas and New Year, Lunar New Year, Holy Week, long weekends). Tell us as soon as your dates are fixed - the earlier, the more choice. Last-minute requests are accepted, with fewer options.

Changes and cancellations: the general principle

• Before you confirm the plan: change freely, at no cost.
• After confirmation, for anything not yet actually booked: still adjustable.
• For accommodation, boats, flights and activity slots already booked on your behalf: each operator's own rules apply. We apply for you and report the outcome honestly, but we cannot promise a change or a refund.
• How this works for your specific booking is set out when you confirm the plan, not sprung on you on the day.

Weather, flights and other events beyond anyone's control

• Safety comes first at sea. Small boats stop sailing in rough conditions and activities do get cancelled; we reorder the itinerary first and recover what can be recovered.
• In the wetter months (roughly June to November) we suggest keeping one spare day, and we do not schedule boat trips or outdoor activities on your last day.
• Losses caused by weather or cancelled flights are handled under the current rules of each operator and local authority. We recommend travel insurance covering delay and cancellation.

How to reach us on the day

Before you travel you get a named Chinese-speaking contact plus the number staffed that day (WeChat / WhatsApp / Telegram / LINE, whichever you use), along with your driver and companion details. If nobody is at arrivals, if you want to change something mid-trip, or if sailings are suspended or someone falls ill, contact us first and your advisor coordinates it.

Yixing is a private travel and consulting services company registered in the Philippines, with no affiliation with the airport, provincial or city governments, or the Bureau of Immigration. Site openings, on-site fees and clearance are decided by the authorities.

Why there is no fixed package price on this page

A Cebu quote moves with several things at once: group size (vehicle class and how costs are shared), season (rates and boats move in peak periods), accommodation level, whether you cross to Bohol, how many hours the vehicle is used (the east and west coasts are very different drives), and whether you want a Chinese-speaking companion. Change any one of them and the total changes, so a single posted figure would only mislead. We price each trip individually.

A quote usually includes

• Private vehicle and driver for the days and hours stated in the plan;
• Chinese-speaking companion (only if you choose it);
• Itinerary planning and booking assistance;
• Booking of accommodation and the admissions listed in the plan;
• Airport and pier transfers and the arrangements for crossings.

A quote usually excludes

• International and domestic flights;
• Personal spending and anything added outside the plan;
• Single-room supplement;
• Travel insurance;
• Visas and related applications (assistance available separately).

Official fees: who pays them and when

Admissions, certain local registration fees and pier-related charges are official fees collected on site by the sites, operators and local government. They set the amounts and revise them from time to time. Your plan states which of them we book and pay on your behalf and which you settle on site. For anything paid on site, pay at an official counter with posted rates and take an itemised receipt; your companion or driver walks you to the right counter and never handles your cash.

Payment and documentation

Payment methods, currency and the type of documentation available vary with where you are and what you need it for. Your advisor explains this when you confirm the plan and it goes into the confirmation, so nothing is left unclear before departure.

Want to know how your trip prices out? Send your dates, group size and the direction you want to go to a Yixing advisor and we will cost it line by line.