The first time Wendy and Anya took the New Camellia (ニューかめりあ) ferry between Fukuoka, Japan and Busan, South Korea was in 2018 when they went abroad with their 6-month-old hamburger to enjoy cherry blossoms in Fukuoka and Busan, giving up taking the ferry. Air Busan’s low-cost flight method allows me to experience the taste of traveling slowly. I will take a boat from Busan to Fukuoka in 2024. Let’s share my experience of taking the boat twice and booking the boat ticket!
Quick Facts: A basic introduction to the Fukuoka-Busan cross-country ferry route
The cross-border ferries between Fukuoka and Busan are divided into two types of routes: ordinary ships and fast ships, both of which are jointly operated by the ferry companies of Japan and South Korea.The ordinary ship route is jointly operated by Camellia Line (Japan) and Koreaferry (South Korea). The voyage from Fukuoka to Busan (daytime) is about 5.5 hours, and the voyage from Busan to Fukuoka (night) is about 7.5 hours; the fast boat is operated by JR Beetle (Japan) and The two companies of Kobee (South Korea) are jointly operated, and the one-way voyage is about 3 hours.
If you use on-site ticket purchase, if you depart from Fukuoka, you will buy tickets from Camellia Line (regular boat) or JR Beetle (fast boat). If you depart from Busan, you will buy tickets from Koreaaferry (regular boat) or Kobee (fast boat). If you use online ticketing, you can book tickets online through the website no matter you are departing from Fukuoka or Busan. In addition to online bookings on various official websites, you can also choose the reservation platform service of Direct Ferries.
- Ordinary ship.Depart from Fukuoka｜Camellia Line + Koreaferry:https://www.camellia-line.co.jp/ (Japanese and English)
- Ordinary ship.Depart from Busan｜Koreaferry + Camellia Line:http://www.koreaferry.co.kr/ (Korean and English)
- Fast ship. Fukuoka─Busan｜JR Beetle + Kobee:https://www.jrbeetle.com/ (English, Japanese and Korean)
- Itinerary booking platform:KKday|Klook
- Others・Direct Ferries:https://www.directferries.com/
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New Camellia Line Ferry: Actual ride experience from Busan to Fukuoka in 2024
- Busan Port International Passenger Terminal 1st Floor: Parking Lot
- Busan Port International Passenger Terminal 2nd Floor: Arrival Hall, Convenience Store, Office
- Busan Port International Passenger Terminal 3rd floor: Departure hall, ticket counter, restaurant
- Busan Port International Passenger Terminal 4th Floor: Port Control Room, Office
- Busan Port International Passenger Terminal 5th Floor: Conference Room, Convention and Exhibition Center, Public Relations Center
During the summer vacation of 2024, our two small families of three, each with a 1-year-old child, took the Camellia Line from Busan to Fukuoka, and boarded the ship at the Busan Port International Passenger Terminal. The terminal building is more advanced than that of Fukuoka. It is spacious and novel, with more ferry routes and restaurant options.
It is important to note that the Visit Japan Web registration procedure required for entering Japan cannot be applied to entering Japan by ferry. Fortunately, there is a paper arrival card in the passenger lobby. It is recommended to come to the terminal building in advance to wait for the ferry and write it by hand at the same time. Fill out the immigration card.
The ferry from Busan to Fukuoka is a night sailing. It is recommended to book a first-class room or above to have an exclusive independent space and have a quiet sleep at night. On the other hand, the Fukuoka to Busan trip is a day trip, so you can book a second-class cabin with a bunk bed type, and you can spend most of your time in the public space on the ferry.
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New Camellia Line Ferry: Actual ride experience from Fukuoka to Busan in 2018
In the spring of 2018, we arranged a cherry blossom viewing itinerary between Fukuoka and Busan. We planned to fly in from Fukuoka and out from Busan. In the middle, we took a cross-country ferry from Fukuoka to Busan. We considered taking a small hamburger with us and chose to take an ordinary route. , although the voyage takes a long time, the hull is large and stable, so you can have a good rest. This time I chose the Camellia Line daytime route. Camellia Line departs from Hakata Port at 12:30 at noon during the day and arrives at Busan Port at 16:00 in the evening. The voyage takes 5.5 hours.
On the Camellia Line passenger and cargo ferries from Fukuoka to Busan, most of them are Koreans. It is obvious that the main passenger group of this route is to facilitate Koreans to travel to Fukuoka. During the whole trip on the ship, I saw the vitality of the Korean people, and the strong stall culture is truly well-deserved. The on-board restaurant, karaoke OK, and game room are all available, making the entire ship lively.
The advantage of taking a cross-border ferry is that there is no baggage weight limit, and baggage inspection is not as strict as that of an airplane. Seeing many South Korean Azhuma carrying a large number of trophies on board, you know that taking a ship from South Korea to Japan is a pretty good choice. .The route from Fukuoka to Busan is daytime. If you want to save money, you can choose to shop. But when you go to Fukuoka from Busan, it is night time. It is better to choose a private room to rest. Anyway, it has already saved the hotel accommodation cost for the next night.
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New Camellia Line ferry room introduction and precautions
Camellia Line’s room levels are divided into seven types: special room, double special room, single special room, first-class Japanese room, first-class double western-style room, first-class four-person western-style room, and second-class room, but not every room type will be open online. Booking.
In addition, the second-class room is a shared room with three different prices. The main difference comes from whether it is possible to "change the date (daily payment change)" and "cancel the appointment (払い戻し)". The high-priced first-class room types will provide the date of change and The option to cancel the appointment.
In addition, children, toddlers, and babies are counted as one person. Although babies can ride for free, they still have to be counted as one person. Double rooms cannot allow parents and infants to book a room for three persons.Therefore, this time Wendy and Anya will travel with Little Hamburg, which means that Anya and Little Hamburg will live in a double room, and Wendy will also book a second-class position.
New Camellia Line ticket online booking and payment tutorial
Camellia Line's official website provides a simple and easy-to-understand ticket booking page and steps, followed by seven steps: vacancy inquiry, cabin selection, account login, passenger information, appointment confirmation, completion of the reservation and settlement, and completion of the payment.The ticket booking page is available in Japanese and English. If necessary, you can use the right-click translation function of the Chrome browser to assist in understanding the operation method and description content.
Next, go to the official booking page (https://www.camellia-line.co.jp/rs/), step by step instructions on the steps of online booking.
STEP 1. Empty seat note: vacancy inquiry
Choose one-way (movie) or round-trip (return) ticket type, choose to depart from Hakata Port (HAKATA) or Busan Port (BUSAN), continue to select the boarding date and number of passengers, and then press the "Search" button to search for vacancies.
When selecting a boarding date, the lowest fare search function (the most secure) is provided below, which provides daily lowest fare comparison. The ferry ticket price is the same as that of an airplane flight. The floating fare is usually higher on weekends and holidays. If you order, the more you can get discounted fares.
STEP 2. Material (grade) selection: class and price selection
According to the number of passengers set in the previous step, after selecting the room level to board, set the number of passengers in each room. According to the age, they are divided into adults (adults, over 12 years old), children (small people, 6-11 years old), and children ( There are four types for infants (2-5 years old) and infants (nursing children, 0-1 years old). After the selection is completed, the price will be automatically calculated on the right. The price is divided into two types: general price and member price.
After setting the room level and the number of people, there are three options below for non-member booking (login to せずに予约), new member registration and booking (new member registration で予约), and member booking (Member ログインで予约), usually Choose the login in the middle to become a new member to get discounted fares.
STEP 3. ログイン processing: account login
Camellia Line ticket offers two kinds of general price and member price. The member price is usually more favorable. After selecting the new member login and booking in the previous step, a new member login form will appear. Enter the last name, first name, E-mail, Gender, date of birth, phone number, passport number, nationality, password and password reconfirmation and other fields are recommended to be filled in based on passport information.
After completing the login form, the system will send a letter to the registered E-mail mailbox. After receiving the letter and obtaining the PIN code confirmed by the mailbox, enter the PIN code to register as a member.
STEP 4. Passenger information input: passenger data input
After logging in as a member, enter the information of the accompanying passenger, including the surname, first name, gender, date of birth, passport number, nationality and other fields. The information of the member will be automatically brought in. The information of other accompanying passengers must be in accordance with the passport information Fill in, booking an international ship is just like the principle of air ticket booking.
STEP 5. Confirmation of the content of the appointment: Confirmation of the content of the reservation
After registering the passenger information, continue to confirm the contents of the ticket reservation. At this time, options for changing cabin class, date, number of people, and passenger information are provided. If there is no need to change, just press the "appointment confirmation" button.
STEP 6. Make an appointment: complete the appointment and settlement
After confirming the appointment information, the system will provide the appointment number (appointment number), and remind the payment deadline (お付払term), the payment must be completed before the payment deadline.There are three types of payment methods: credit card (クレジットカード), convenience store (コンビニ), and internet banking (ネットバンク). For foreigners, choosing a credit card is the most convenient.
After selecting the credit card payment, the page for entering the card information will pop up. After entering the 16-digit credit card number, the expiration date, and the 3-digit credit card verification code (CVC), the payment can be completed, and the system will send a confirmation letter to the registration at the same time In your E-mail box.
When booking and boarding in 2018, according to the content of the reservation completion notification letter, online payment only includes the ticket price. When boarding the boat on site, additional cash must be paid for fuel tax (￥500/person) and port tax (￥500/adult) , ￥250/children aged 6-12). The fuel tax must be paid together with the ticket. The port tax must be purchased at the vending machine. Both fees must be paid in cash. You must have cash in hand when boarding.
For the voyage from Busan to Fukuoka in 2024, you can also use Camellia Line's official website to make online reservations. The fees charged will include fuel tax, port tax, tourism fund and other fees. You can pay directly by swiping your card online, and there is no need to prepare cash to pay these fees. .
STEP 7. Decision: complete payment
After completing the online payment by swiping the card, you will come to the final payment confirmation page. At this time, you can change the passenger's information. It is also possible to change the identity of the companion. You can also modify it after the member logs in.
New Camellia Line ticket reservation confirmation and modification tutorial
After completing the ticket reservation and payment, if you need to change the boarding date and passenger status temporarily, or when you apply for a refund, you can go back to the booking page and click on the membership booking management (ご予约済みのお客様はこちら) function , After logging in the member’s email and password, you can modify, cancel, pay, and modify member information.
Membership information cannot be modified, and accompanying passenger information can be modified without additional charge. If you want to cancel, the 2nd class cabin may not be refundable, and other cabins will charge a handling fee. According to the distance from the boarding date, a corresponding proportional handling fee will be charged .
After the passenger's information is confirmed, you can log in to the member on the website and print out the appointment confirmation form on the backstage of the website, and carry it with you for easy checking.
Real experience riding the New Camellia Line ferry
- If you are traveling from Fukuoka to Busan during the day, you can save some money and book a second-class cabin on a common cabin; if you are traveling from Busan to Fukuoka in the middle of the night, you can spend some money to book a private cabin and sleep better.
- Entering Busan and leaving Fukuoka, take a boat overnight, save one night's accommodation fee, drop off your luggage at the hotel the next morning, and still have the whole day to play, as long as you sleep well at night
- Entering Fukuoka and leaving Busan, taking a boat during the day and booking a hotel is very economical. The Korean aunties on the boat are very lively. When arriving at night, find a hotel to spend the night and start the trip the next day.
- There are also flights from Fukuoka to Busan. If you want to take a flight quickly, taking a ferry is a kind of emotion and experience. It is even more fun to experience it with your parents or children.
- If you want to take a night boat from Kyushu to Busan, it is recommended to take the Sekibu Ferry. The two ships depart from Busan and Shimonoseki in both directions, and both are night voyages.
Video introduction: Busan-Fukuoka ferry unboxing video
New Camellia Line．カメリアライン Co., Ltd.
- Phone: +81 092-262-2323
- Official website: http://www.camellia-line.co.jp/
- Address: 〒812-0031 No. 14-1, Okihama-cho, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City (Hakata Port International Tower XNUMXrd Floor)
