Cebu Pacific (CebPac) is notorious for changing flight schedules; at times, they do it weeks or days before the actual flight but if you're unlucky, you might receive the notice just hours before your flight.
It was GB and I's first travel outside of Cebu without a friend with us; I have planned and prepared for everything, the destination, the budget, booked the accommodation and figured out the best route in this weeklong travel, but little did we know CebPac had other plans.
We were in the middle of packing our things after dinner when an email announced a change in our flight schedule together with the only option available to us "to accept it". It wouldn't outraged me if the delay took 1-2 hours only but 8 hours was a different story. They're stripping us an entire day in our trip. I was too upset, angry and sad all at the same time; I was at the height of negative emotions. Soon, I starting crying and spewing words such as us "There's no point doing this trip!" I tried communicating with their customer service but apparently, a low-cost carrier don't have a number you can call. I was left to queue in their Messenger and chatted with a bot that talked nonsense. Worst part of the experience was not able to talk to a real customer representative at all. On the otherhand, my boyfriend remained calm and collected. He convinced me that all is well; we'd make adjustments on the itinerary and still have all the fun and adventure we're after. I went to sleep still upset about the whole situation.
The following day, we went to Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) Terminal 1 like nothing happened. I've made peace with CebPac's inability to serve their customers' needs. Luckily, there were no further delays in the flight. We were early in MCIA and had ample time for coffee and snacks.
In no time, were up in the air. At this point, I was grateful that the delay was only less than 12 hours. At least on our first day, we'd still reach our destination, which was far south of Manila, before midnight. I don't believe that resilience is a great trait in all situations. As traveler, we were forced to be resilient just because of an unacceptable service from Philippine's low-cost air carrier.
Upon arrival in Manila, we rushed through the busy exit gates and walked towards the parking area right outside NAIA Terminal 3. Here, the driver of the car we're renting for 6 days was waiting for us. My boyfriend settled the documents. I was busy taking photos of the vehicle we're renting. Make sure you do this in case there are existing damage/s in the car's surface such as dents, cracks and scratches. You might end up paying for these if you don't have your own proof that such existed prior to your trip. Better be safe than sorry.
Before hitting the crazy Manila traffic, we had our early dinner in a small carenderia nearby the parking lot. We ordered some batchoy, goto and chicken rice meals.
After roughly 4 hours of traveling from Manila, we reached our destination in Pagsanjan. We got a cheap room in a small family-run resort. It wasn't the nicest room but it kept us safe for a night before the real adventure begins. To appease us, CebPac gave us free travel vouchers which we used to another trip. Even with this peace offering, I still hate it everytime I remember how CebPac ruined our trip even before it began.
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