Pattaya - Hua Hin ferry: company upbeat as ferry begins charging

[webfact]

Pattaya - Hua Hin ferry: company upbeat as ferry begins charging

 

Picture: Manager Online

 

PATTAYA: -- The company running the Pattaya to Hua Hin ferry service is upbeat after what they say was a successful testing period in January.

 

And they are saying that if all goes to plan a second vessel will be introduced on the route, reported Manager Online.

 

But they are yet to release passenger numbers from the first day when charges were levied for tickets for the 113 kilometer journey on Wednesday. They said this would be announced shortly.

 

During January when the service was free, Royal Passenger Liner said that the Royal One catamaran always had at least 100 people aboard.

 

Picture: Manager Online

 

Though they admitted it has the capacity for 346 passengers they said that the service was well received by frequent travelers between the two resorts as it represented a "quicker and safer way to travel".

 

They said that if all goes to plan and the first phase of operation is a success they will introduce another vessel to the service.

 

For now there is a special promotion for the "Love Month" of February of just 999 baht rather than the usual 1,250 baht they will charge later. First class passengers are paying 1,299 and a cabin for eight VIPs is available for 14,000 baht per trip.

 

An official opening party is scheduled for 11-12 February.

 

Source: Manager Online

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-02-03

[dotpoom]

I came to Hua Hin on the 1st of this month, as I often do every during the year.  Lots of tourists, especially Chinese here. But this time I noticed a hugh jump in the price of food, at least in the local Thai restaurants..... double the usual price in most of the ones we (my Thai wife) have been to so far

[catman20]

see how many people they have now they have started to charge, far to expensive 999 0r 1250 baht one way.

[joepattaya1961]

346 people? At first there were talks about 150!!

Anyway, if during the 'free' period a 100 people joined the free rides, I guess that number will fall drastically as soon as the paid rides kick off.

[sahibji]

There is no point talking passenger numbers at this stage.

 

Let the ferry run and monitor the numbers thereafter. If the ferry service is good the numbers will inevitably pick up due to due to time and money savings,  plus giving visitors an opportunity to visit two destinations within a reasonable budget. Right now the focus should be to run an effective service.

[sahibji]

Just now, joepattaya1961 said:

346 people? At first there were talks about 150!!

Anyway, if during the 'free' period a 100 people joined the free rides, I guess that number will fall drastically as soon as the paid rides kick off.

I feel the numbers will pick up if the ferry service is on time and efficient. the time savings to commute between the two destinations will make it worth it.

[sahibji]

13 minutes ago, dotpoom said:

I came to Hua Hin on the 1st of this month, as I often do every during the year.  Lots of tourists, especially Chinese here. But this time I noticed a hugh jump in the price of food, at least in the local Thai restaurants..... double the usual price in most of the ones we (my Thai wife) have been to so far

inevitable due to supply and demand.

 

[fforest1]

I am not leaving my Pattaya Bar Stool until they lower the price...

Who needs them a lot more Chang beer happy happy hours in Pattaya

than Hua Hin...

 

[steveyinasia]

"eight VIPs is available for 14,000 baht per trip"  that's one very expensive VIP option, what do you get for the price?

[Aforek]

Ferry is beautiful, but expensive fare , I think

[midas]

1 hour ago, sahibji said:

I feel the numbers will pick up if the ferry service is on time and efficient. the time savings to commute between the two destinations will make it worth it.

But where is the saving if the weather suddenly turns bad before the return journey and you have to stay overnight in Hua Hin ?

[hansnl]

1 hour ago, sahibji said:

inevitable due to supply and demand.

 

Ahhhhhh

The market!

 

Also called something very different.

[hobobo]

25 minutes ago, midas said:

But where is the saving if the weather suddenly turns bad before the return journey and you have to stay overnight in Hua Hin ?

It was not meant for the day trippers - who would go to Hua Hin for an hour and a half? But people going for long weekends or short breaks, it beats the car journey!

[GAZZPA]

2 hours ago, catman20 said:

see how many people they have now they have started to charge, far to expensive 999 0r 1250 baht one way.

I completely agree. For myself and the missus using this rerun ferry is 5000 baht.. Far too much money for a ferry. For that money I can hire a minibus for the day with driver and take a dozen of us and probably buy everyone lunch.

 

Someone has got this very wrong and it will probably fail to become economically viable.

 

 

[Cyclone88]

10 minutes ago, GAZZPA said:

I completely agree. For myself and the missus using this rerun ferry is 5000 baht.. Far too much money for a ferry. For that money I can hire a minibus for the day with driver and take a dozen of us and probably buy everyone lunch.

 

Someone has got this very wrong and it will probably fail to become economically viable.

 

 

Hmmm. Going to the extreme. 

Your welcome to squash 12 of you in a minibus. As for 5000 baht there and back all in a day. 

[Xobtsiwt]

Six months max.

[piersbeckett]

1 hour ago, steveyinasia said:

"eight VIPs is available for 14,000 baht per trip"  that's one very expensive VIP option, what do you get for the price?

Baht 1750 each - privacy, I guess; the airport bus to/from the new airport bus terminal in Hua Hin is only Baht 385.00 I believe!

[Bendi]

1 hour ago, steveyinasia said:

"eight VIPs is available for 14,000 baht per trip"  that's one very expensive VIP option, what do you get for the price?

14000 divided on 8 persons is 1750, not so bad. Only 500 more than an ordinary ticket.

[grumbleweed]

At least 29%  capacity during peak season, when the service is free, and they're talking about a second boat???

Now that's what I call optimism 

 

If they're looking for investors for this second boat, although their specialty is bridges, there's a team of guys over in the states who could be interested

 

 

[zorro1]

But where is the saving if the weather suddenly turns bad before the return journey and you have to stay overnight in Hua Hin ?

People have sailed the world and around Cape horn in 30 foot yachts in Horrific conditions. This vessel is unstoppable. The maiden Voyage didn't want pics of people spewing there guts out everywhere

[zorro1]

From memory a private cabin for a group, not 14k each

[fforest1]

You can make 33 trips to Koh Larn for 1000 baht....

or

16 round round trips....

[Retiredandhappyhere]

2 hours ago, sahibji said:

There is no point talking passenger numbers at this stage.

 

Let the ferry run and monitor the numbers thereafter. If the ferry service is good the numbers will inevitably pick up due to due to time and money savings,  plus giving visitors an opportunity to visit two destinations within a reasonable budget. Right now the focus should be to run an effective service.

The usual Thai optimism is clearly spreading.  When a new store opens with bargain offers, it is usualy inundated with customers.  In this case a ferry with a 346 passenger capacity managed to attract about 100 or so passengers when it was completely FREE.  It will be interesting to hear the passenger numbers now that they are charging for the service, although it is quite revealing I think that the first day's numbers are appaarently not yet available for some unknown reason and that the  charge for the first month has already been temporarily reduced  from 1250 to 999 bahts for a one-way trip. with the reason given that February is a month "of love, due to Valentine's day" is stretching things a bit.   

 

It is to be hoped that this ferry service turns out to be a success, hopefully at much lower prices, but the initial indications are not good. It could perhaps be a viable proposition during the very short high season but what about the long low season, when the service may have to be halted and the ferry or ferries laid up?  Can they be used for alternative tourist attractions, like short cruises along the coasts etc?

[Retiredandhappyhere]

2 hours ago, sahibji said:

inevitable due to supply and demand.

 

So food prices DOUBLE due to "supply and demand" and not due to the usual RIP-OFF philosophy?.   How many tourists do you think are put off by these tactics and resolve to go elsewhere?  Many Thais only think about the moment and not about the future.  This is why tourist numbers which have grown year by year in the past , without a proportionate increase or improvement in related infrastructure, will now gradually decline or at the very least fail to grow (despite the usual TAT propaganda).  Nowadays, nearly every Asian country is touting for tourist business and some have as much or more to offer than Thailand, so people are comparing the relative services offered as well as other factors like safety (on the roads and elsewhere) and the possibility of falling foul of the false smiles and the corrupt justice system.

 

I do not want Thailand to fail economically as I live here but, what with the Thai Government and the attitude of many service providers, Thais seem to be their own worst enemies.

[AlQaholic]

3 hours ago, joepattaya1961 said:

346 people? At first there were talks about 150!!

Anyway, if during the 'free' period a 100 people joined the free rides, I guess that number will fall drastically as soon as the paid rides kick off.

Yeah they added another two decks.....(without telling anybody of course).....

[F4UCorsair]

I'd like to see it thrive.  Never been to Pattaya, but I have visited HH, and liked it.  I may take the ferry from HH to Pattaya, two new experiences, then a bus back to Bangkok.

[midas]

1 hour ago, hobobo said:

It was not meant for the day trippers - who would go to Hua Hin for an hour and a half? But people going for long weekends or short breaks, it beats the car journey!

"   people going for long weekends or short breaks"

 

And on any given day how many of those do you think there are likely to be?

p.s. if such people could take their car with them on a proper car ferry that would be a different thing but I would say every day there would be no more than a handful who would want to spend a long time there and be at the mercy of the Hua Hin taxi Mafia to go everywhere

[elgordo38]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

And they are saying that if all goes to plan a second vessel will be introduced on the route, reported Manager Online.

 

Get one that floats in any kind of weather unlike this good ship lollipop 

[elgordo38]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

represented a "quicker and safer way to travel".

 

I see you use italics in your statement guess your not convinced. 

[Destiny1990]

How about connect the 2 cities by a bridge?