Beetle Ferry Issues
I was hoping to catch the Fukuoka ferry to Busan on November 23, yet I just checked the site (to the best of my non-Japanese speaking ability) and it seems that all the ferries except the late one are booked. That's not the case for any other day, and I thought over 6 weeks in advance, I'd be ok, but Murphy's Law strikes again!I may fly, I may try a different day, though I'd prefer an early ferry on november 23rd. I've read you can only reserve a spot and have to pay a week before or something (just what I've pieced together from online searches - there is very little English on the site). I also might try the longer ferries from Fukuoka or even Osaka, but I find very little info in English and a lot of broken links.
1) should I try waiting to see if some of these ferries on Nov 23, as in some people don't pay and they release the seats?
2) does anyone have any other info on the other ships?
3) how exactly does booking work? It seems like a confusing mess for those of us who don't speak Japanese.
Thanks!
1
Nov 23 is a National Holiday in Japan so that makes that weekend a long weekend. This is probably why all the ferries are booked.So, I wouldn't rely on people cancelling and flights may also be busy/full.
You don't mention any of the rest of your itinerary so it is hard to say which day is going to be better but I'd try and pick another day.
2
Thanks, accFigures I randomly chose a national holiday!
For my whole itinerary, I was going going to come from Kyoto to Fukuoka, and take the ferry to Busan and then work my way up to Seoul. I suppose I can choose another day to take the ferry (the ferry seems more fun than a plane).
I now have to decide if I want to add an extra day in Japan or an extra day in South Korea (removing a day from whichever I don't choose). I had originally wanted to do 12 days in Japan and 9 in SK.
Also, do I book as normal for the ferry? The website's main page is in English, but the rest is not, and I find it confusing. I hear you have to book in Japan, and that you don't purchase but reserve, and then you have to pay beforehand. Is there an easy way to do this for non-Japanese speakers? The website keeps taking me to dead links (and I can't even find out anything about the other ferry services that go from Japan to SK).
Thank you!
3
Personally, I'd look into the flights if I were you. Although I haven't take a ferry on that route, I have taken fast ferries in Asia before and I don't enjoy anything about the experience. Usually you're not allowed to go out on the deck for safety reasons, so you're locked inside for 3 hours I think. Asians are also prone to seasickness, so if you get bad weather, you might spend 3 hours listening to people puke all around you (had that happen to me in Thailand, and although it was only for 1 hour, I never want to go through that again.)Anyways, if you're willing to consider flights, I'd look into Air Busan, which is probably the cheapest, and possibly Korean Air and Asiana Airlines. If you do, definitely play with the dates to see which day gives you the cheapest flight.
Jason
