Govt floats plans for new ferry service between Pattaya and Cha Am

[emilymat]

I notice the idea is being 'floated'. How long before it 'sinks'?

[Guest]

If you sleep with a dog, you get fleas.

I hate Pattaya and love to visit Cha Am for the quite beaches, great food and genuine Thai life that is simply charming.

Please do not make it a hell hole like Pattaya.

How they can continue to boost Pattaya, and cry about lack of "quality tourists" is a mystery wrapped in an enigma.

Leave a great place close to BKK alone.

(Funny, don;t seem to want to do this up the road in Hua Hin ... things that make you go "hmmmmmmm")

[Greenhill]

Any connection between that photo and any new potential Thai ferry is purely coincidental!!

[jpinx]

Such a project would need serious funding, and the level of cash flow needed to keep it going would be too tempting. Even in UK the beaurocrats were expecting backhanders to grant the various ridiculous "permissions" they said would be needed for a similar project in UK waters.

Edited March 7, 2015 by jpinx

[thepanom]

Do the tourist who are visiting Pattaya want to go to Cha-am, and

the other way around???

I am sure that Cha-am is not waiting for the Pattaya tourist, they are happy with what they have

[cookee68]

Nice picture, shame their ferry wont look like that.

[tx22cb]

Are these people absolute idiots? They had it for awhile. http://www.thailand-huahin.com/ferry-huahin-pattaya-timetables.html

I guess when you steal the keys to the house and there's nothing else to do, you sit and dream up ideas. I'm waiting for someone claim they've discovered fire. Hold on it's comin...

The previous ferry service between Pattaya and Hua Hin ran only for 1 year (Nov 2010 to Dec 2011) before going bust. During that period, the "high speed ferry" operated on only 3 days a week - with one crossing each way. There were not enough passengers for more than 3 round-trip crossings a week!

A one-way trip cost 1600 Baht per person (2011), yet the operation could not make money. And the price in 2015 .... maybe 2000 Baht one way - might as well take a charter from U-Tapao airport to Hua Hin airport.

The Deputy Transport Minister seems to be a right simpleton.

[Xircal]

Is that a ferry???

That's the one they had hoped to buy, but wouldn't be available in time.

Now they're proposing to use this one instead: http://is.gd/CdFnlL

[Thunderbirds20]

Great Idea! I'm amazed such a ferry service has not existed before. I live in Jomtien Beach and would love to go to Cha Am by boat, .. but hate the trip as it is now, .... crammed in a van .. twice!! for two to three and three to four hours!

[Simons3]

I like the Idea, having taken the 5 hour mini bus ride from Hua Hin a few times, I would love a 2.5 hour option.

not sure how they are going to do it though its 65 miles by sea (104KM)( maybe they just watched Hangover 2, Bangkok to Phuket in under an hour by boat!), so they would probably have to use a hydrofoil if they want to keep that time line.

I think the reasons past efforts failed to deploy this route are because service was no faster than going by minibus, & it was more expensive. if they can fix that I think there is a market (there's always at least 5 people on the mini bus rides ive been on, and a lot of my ,mates just put a group together and take a taxi, add a bar on the boat and they would be there in a minute! )

but I am optimistic, if they put in a high speed train and a hydrofoil route I'd be a happy man, but then again this is Thailand

[lapd]

If it was fast enough and cheap enough and convenient enough it would probably get me to go to Hua Hin once in awhile. They can't seem to get the right combination of those 3 things though.

Pattaya and Hua Hin have grown quite a bit since the last time they tried this. Maybe worth another try. Probably the biggest expense would be proper terminals on either end. That is the only way I could see this working. Not some half baked ferry dock floating on oil drums or whatever. Maybe if they made the terminals capable of handling cruise ships as well that could make it more viable.

Edited March 7, 2015 by lapd

[Torrens54]

I think "Star Cruises" based in Singapore is already operating from Singapore but don't know if they "pick up Pax" from Thai Ports.

[SGD]

Wasn't this tried before and failed due to lack of passengers using the route ?

There was a ferry service but it was never advertised (at least not to farangs). I only heard about it the month it was closing

Pretty much no-one knew about it all the years I lived there.

Piss poor marketing.

[JohanB]

There used to be a link between the two but it was a fairly small vessel that could not be used when the sea was rough, which made it all rather unreliable.

Personally I would rather drive if I have the choice; I dont trust Thai ferries very much.

You rather thrust thai roads more to drive around almost to Bangkok?????

Yes I've already drowe that route, but would prefere a ferry.

[lapd]

Why are there so many people here who presumably have 'chosen' to live in Thailand yet all they want to do is talking about how [insert any topic] about Thailand will never work because Thailand sucks?

Edited March 7, 2015 by lapd

[JohanB]

Why are there so many people here who presumably have 'chosen' to live in Thailand yet all they want to do is talking about how [insert any topic] about Thailand will never work because Thailand sucks?

Yes everythings sucks, when youre not into it.

But we still love Thailand....and stay here!!

Maybe we're some sort of masochists ??

[kiwikeith]

Look at the size of that vessel, or is she thinking of a fast ferry about the size of the tender alongside the ship?

Whatever happened to these.hover.jpg

Just how many million tourists will want to travel from Pattaya to Hua Hin / Cha Am?

Or is the Tourism Minister dreaming again?

Cha Am is a nightmare on the weekends with visitors from Bangkok you cant get near the place, so with a ferry Pattaya can take a load over for the weekend how joyful it will become

[ToddinChonburi]

Looks like Thailand has Tea money to burn.

[jacko45k]

Hasn't 2 past efforts to run ferry services between Pattaya and Hua Hin failed?

What does Cha-Am offer that HH did not, other than being unheard of?

One way to avoid the tunnel construction and traffic jams, how about a ferry service between Jomtiem and Bali Hai?

[ratcatcher]

Look at the size of that vessel, or is she thinking of a fast ferry about the size of the tender alongside the ship?

Whatever happened to these.hover.jpg

Just how many million tourists will want to travel from Pattaya to Hua Hin / Cha Am?

Or is the Tourism Minister dreaming again?

Cha Am is a nightmare on the weekends with visitors from Bangkok you cant get near the place, so with a ferry Pattaya can take a load over for the weekend how joyful it will become

For every person leaving Cha Am on a Pattaya bound ferry, there will be others to replace them on the return trip. If you want joyful, I doubt Cha Am is the place. It is a seaside town favored by Thais.

[crusty]

If this was a viable route wouldn't somebody have already sewn it up?

Something like this ?

[noitom]

Thais are floating ideas again. Thais are always floating. They pass around a lot of hot air and gas.

[stoli]

If this was a viable route wouldn't somebody have already sewn it up?

You mean "do not try anything new, because everything that can be done has been done"? I don't think innovators feel that way, thank goodness. Situations are always changing, huge advancements being made in every industry, which makes many changes far more possible.

I love the thought that this is, at this point in time, a proposal by private money. Let's see how it plays out. I would be the first one on, if affordable, which I don't think a ship of that size would be.

[Jimbolai]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I think this would be a success if it was done properly, so far only a few half baked attempts have been tried and understandably failed.

A proper fast ferry with the ability to carry passengers plus cars would be a solution that could work, similar to the ferries that run between Scotland/England and Ireland, the distance is about 70km and some of those modern ferries could do that in just one hour thirty minutes, the initial expense being the terminals at both ends able to handle such a large vessel, the ferry could be contracted for a year to see if such a thing is feasible, obviously the fare will also be a big factor, too expensive and it would never get off the ground

too expensive and it would never get off the ground

Is it a boat or a plane? alt=tongue.png>

As long as it is in the water and floating it is off the ground. Putting wings on it would be a Thai specialty.

Say no more.

[stoli]

Look at the size of that vessel, or is she thinking of a fast ferry about the size of the tender alongside the ship?

Whatever happened to these.hover.jpg

Just how many million tourists will want to travel from Pattaya to Hua Hin / Cha Am?

Or is the Tourism Minister dreaming again?

Cha Am is a nightmare on the weekends with visitors from Bangkok you cant get near the place, so with a ferry Pattaya can take a load over for the weekend how joyful it will become

For every person leaving Cha Am on a Pattaya bound ferry, there will be others to replace them on the return trip. If you want joyful, I doubt Cha Am is the place. It is a seaside town favored by Thais.

The audacity! The Thai's love to enjoy their own country! What are they thinking. I wonder why people that just want to spend time with farangs, come to Thailand. Weren't the farangs in their home country?

[Beng]

They had a seaplane service from Pattaya to Samui once. It was in the late 80's if I remembere correctly. I didn't last for long.

[Stargeezr]

If Thailand uses some large ocean going ferry boats to do this service, it may succeed,

but I am not sure if the government is willing to spend that much money for this kind of

service, I guess time will tell.

[luckyman]

If this was a viable route wouldn't somebody have already sewn it up?

Indeed, some optimistic Swedes have tried it years ago, a ferry from Hua Hin to Pattaya and failed big time and another couple have tried it too years ago, did not work either.

When it was in service it carried 5-10 passengers max. at a time on a boat that could carry 75 people,

The thing is, people that do like Hua Hin, hate Pattaya and the other way around, people that love to stay in Pattaya are bored within minutes after they go to Hua Hin.

Secondly, the ferry from Pattaya to Hua Hin could not land at Hua Hin because of the presence of the King's Palace so they went on land in Pranburi, 40 km South of Hua Hin and passengers had to take a mini van ride of 40 minutes.

All in all a drive from Pattaya to Hua Hin with a car and the ferry took both equally 4 hours so there was no time gained either.

The thing is here however that a ferry to Cha'am seems to be even more unlikely to succeed as Cha'am has even less to offer than Hua Hin,

It's has one the ugliest beach roads and surroundings of the world in my opinion.

(that is why I like it so much there actually, it is not attractive to tourists so they stay away which keeps it nicely quiet here, )

[luckyman]

I have been saying this for years, absolute nightmare drive. The golf society take an annual trip to Hua Hin, i will choose the ferry any day as long as it is done right. It would be even better if it is large enough to carry cars.

Nightmare drive! You have to be joking the roads are reasonably good and the traffic moves along pretty well. I did Pattaya to Hua Hin a couple of months back in just less than 4 hours, including pit stops!

so true!

i made that trip dozens of times for my work, you can do the 325 km. in under 4 hours driving only 100 km/h if the traffic is not too bad.

If you leave Hua Hin visa the bypass you will reach Pattaya's Sukhumvit Rd, without passing through any traffic light !

[WinnieTheKhwai]

If this means bringing some of the Pattaya fun to Cha Am then I'm all for it.