* This ferry runs domestically in Japan, not the aforementioned Korea - China ferry.
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I travelled from Inchon, on the outskirts of the metropolis, Seoul, Korea to Qingdao, China by ferry on 23 Oct, 2008. Even though the cruise was choppy, as I slept the majority of the time, it didn't affect me a lot. The trip took one night.
I took the Seoul Subway Line 1 from Chongro 3-ga to Inchon Stations. The subway cost me 1,700 KRW, and the ride took 1 hour 15 minutes. The subway runs frequently.
Then caught a taxi from the station to Inchon Port. It was 2,000 KRW, and took 5 minutes.
Before the cruise, I made a reservation for the business class cabin accommodating four passengers via phone, though in reality I was only with a Korean man there. Then I paid for the ticket costing 112,300 KRW including the departure tax (currently equivalent to approx. 70 USD) at the Inchon ferry terminal just before boarding.
I wasn't asked to produce an onward ticket out of China at the ticket counter at all, although I possessed an AirAsia eticket receipt out of Hong Kong within 15 days. As a note, I'm a Japanese citizen so that I can enter China on a visa waiver up to 15 days.
Weidong Ferry website
Route guide ( Sorry for the blurry image...)
Inchon Port seen from the vessel.
Passengers on the observatory platform.
Reception Area.
This vessel used to ply in Japan, judging from some signboards and the facilities.
My room ( Business Class )
Bedding
Corridor
Convenience store
Duty free
Breakfast: The soup was lukewarm.
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Upon disembarkation at Qingdao, we were bussed to the terminal to clear immigration and customs. As far as my sight is concerned, there was no ATM in the terminal. You might want to prepare some Chinese Yuan in cash beforehand in case you'd like to catch a taxi etc.
Overall, it was a nice experience.
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