Sorry about the mess of a posting above (which I hope Wryre83 can delete) but thanks to my Globe Internet 'service' it has taken me 4 hours to reply to this posting! And I started it before Dutchie's appeared. My postings were continually interrupted due to internet loss and eventually ALL versions appeared on the same page! And when I tried to edit it, only the quoted part appeared.

BELOW is the version I intended to post as a reply to Dutchie's posting:

I went to the Ceres Bus terminal in Dumaguete today and copied the posted schedule. There are a few discrepancies with your list and I wonder if you know why:

Their schedule:
Depart Dumaguete for Cebu (all are listed as aircon): 3.15 am, 4.15 am, 5.45 am, 6.30 am (via Lilo-an*), 8.20 am, 9.15 am, 10.15 am, 11.20 am, 2.15 pm, 10.30 pm. [*Not via ferry Sibulan Port to Lilo-an, but the usual route with the bus just stopping at Lilo-an Port]. Your list shows the 6.30 am as 7 am and does not mention the Lilo-an stop (although it seems irrelevant if there are Ceres buses stopping there all day anyway); your 11.20 am is asterisked but I am not aware why; your list shows a 4 pm bus (also asterisked), which is not shown on the posted schedule (although I was wondering why there are no buses between 2.30 pm and 10.30 pm).
Depart Cebu City (South Terminal and again all listed as aircon): 6 am, 7 am, 9 am, 10 am, 11.30 am, 1 pm, 2 pm, 4 pm, 6 pm, 11 pm. Your list shows a 3 pm bus which is not listed at their Dumaguete Terminal. However, as on the Baywan route schedule they list 4 buses as "pm" which clearly are "am", I cannot be 100% sure of the posted schedule's accuracy.

I think you make a good case for going via Sibulan>Lilo-an but DavyL200 makes the point about frequent stops. I have been on the direct route and found it time wasting to stop for food about an hour after leaving Dumaguete - have people not heard of a packed lunch or eating BEFORE a journey?

I hope you do not think I am being fussy over timings but I just wonder about the reason for different versions (the 'apparent' 4 pm bus from Dumaguete being rather important to anyone planning a quick day trip Cebu><Duma). Anyway, these times are subject to reports from other posters here that they may leave earlier than the stated times (or possibly later?) .... so any posted times may be a guide only or perhaps best called 'a guess'.

 

So what happens if you take the 6 PM Cebu to Duma bus and the traffic is bad so it does not get to the Bato barge before the last one of the night leaves? Do you have to wait at the Ferry terminal for 5 hours or so until the first one in the morning leaves? How reliable is it? Or is it just numbers? What if you get there at 6 PM but it filled up and left at 5:30? Are you stuck at the Cebu South Bus terminal until the 11 PM bus leaves?

Yep. You have to try a few times and see what works for you. Example: Ya know how line ups are free for al'ls here? Well one Friday afternoon I showed up for the 1 PM bus from Cebu City but so many people shoved in front of me, even though I was close to the "front" of the line, that it took me to 4:30 to get out on a bus and I had to push harder and meaner than the people trying to push in front of me. Never again. Weekends on the bus are for hardier souls than me. (And on that day they put on extra busses but there were still more "extra people" and it was really tough to get outta Cebu. Pick your times carefully.

 

I guess that with the bus 'service' here you need to take a packed lunch and fold-up bed just in case. The safest thing to do (other than not go!) is to get the bus before the one you want .... so get ready to leave hours before you intended to.

It is shocking to read of your experience with 'shoving-in' - we just have to shove back (goes against my principle of 'path of lowest resistance' but what the heck!).

 

I'm curious if the route is over to Moalboal and down to Lilo-an or if it goes down the East side of Cebu Island. I'm thinking of stopping at Oslob for a day or two on my next visit and using the bus for a little bit of adventure.

 

I have been on that trip twice and it was both times along the east coast. I was in Oslob one time and on the return journey I took a local bus to Lilo-an Port and then the ferry to Sibulan Port. I preferred that to the direct route, crossing Santander to Bato, with all the associated time wasting.

 

There are other means to travel from Cebu to Dumaguete.
A) Bus to Toledo City - ferry to San Carlos - bus to Dumaguete.
B) Bus to Dumanjug - small ferry to Guihulngan City - bus to Dumaguete.
C) Bus over Barili to Bato - Roro ferry to Tampi - bus to Dumaguete.

My wife used once route B to get to Tayasan and it worked quite well. Route A and B are good alternatives for people living in Tanjay, Bais or north of it.

 

Seems you were lucky.