looking for info about the night ferry..do you need to book in advance? is it as hellish as people say?? will the boat sink??
Have a flight on June 1st to Surat Thani, landing at 4 ish in the afternoon. I have to be in Koh Tao on June 2nd so I was thinking of taking the overnight ferry. Does anyone know if you need to book this in advance?? I cant find a website for it. Also, is it really that bad?? I went on overnight sleeper trains in Vietnam so I am tough. Any info or advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks!!
Jamie
Reply to this Hello Jamie 😊
I dont think you will need to book in advance. There are generally plenty of services waiting to sell you boat tickets to the popular islands. Just go to Surat Thani on the night bus or train and then use whichever travel agent most of the foreigners are going with. They will sell you a ticket for the boat and take you to the pier. To get to Surat Thani(you are going from Bangkok, I presume) I recommend bus over train. Dont buy the bus/train and boat combo tickets from travel agents in Bangkok unless you are recommended one by travellers who have used it. Many of them are dishonest and will add on extra charges when it is too late to back out.
I dont think it is hellish. Sure you will be a bit tired after a night on the bus, but hellish is certainly an exaggeration.
Mel
Reply to this No pre-booking required...the boats are huge, but I would certainly fill up on Dramamine before you hit the water. The Sea can be very rough at times up to 12 meters. We took SeaTran from Samui to Tao and it seemed everyone got sick, even the local commuters. But...almost all tickets are sold with "Insurance" in Thailand, so you would think it be safe if they didn't turn the boat back around. I wrote all about it here...
http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ko-Tao/blog-363662.html
Reply to this One thing to note is that it will be the rainy season when you are there. Sometimes during the rainy season the sea is too rough for the boats to go. So keep your travel plans flexible ...
Reply to this Thanks everyone - I went a couple of days ago from ST to Koh Tao and everything went fine. Boat was pretty full but we made it no problems and there were no bedbugs! I'd recommend it to anyone who doesnt get easily seasick!
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