The Korean built cruise ferry Panstar Miracle has entered service with a maiden voyage from Busan to Osaka on April 13th 2025, a date which coincided with the opening of the Osaka World Expo. The ship will take over the service between the two cities from her predecessor Panstar Dream and will also operate short cruises in the region.
The amenities Panstar Miracle has on offer look inviting on the company’s website. They include an outdoor infinity pool, jogging track, sauna, café and two restaurants. The cruise ferry features 102 cabins in nine categories, among them balcony cabins, which are rarely available on ferries, and two categories of suites.
I traveled this route in 2019 on my first ever ferry trip in Asia and can only recommend checking it out with the new ship. It’s a attractive mix of crossing open waters and a very leisurely journey down the Seto Inlandsea that almost feels like an excursion on a pleasure craft.
The journey is also a feast for lovers of elegant bridges as the ferry passes under the Busan Harbour Bridge, the Kanmon Bridge that connects Honshu and Kyushu, as well as the Great-Seto-Bridge, an impressive 13 km long combination of viaducts and suspension bridges, and the Kaikyo Bridge near Osaka.
Sailings from Busan are on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 15:00 hrs. The return journey from Osaka is an Monday, Wednesday, and Friday also at 15:00 hours.
Thanks to a modern hybrid propulsion system the crossing between Kora and Japan will be shortened by two hours to about 19 hours.
Check-in Busan is at airport like the Busan International Passenger Terminal, which is within walking distance from Busan Station. Busan is well-connected to the rest of Korea by KTX and SRT high speed trains. Or you can take the more leisurely ride on the Hibiscus Train from Seoul.
In Osaka, the ferry is handled by the Osaka International Ferry Terminal in Cosmo. This terminal is pretty basic with just vending machines as facilities. To get to downtown Osaka, you need to walk some 15 minutes to Cosmosquare Metro station. There is a 7-11 convenience store in the River Garden Cosmosquare Mall. Take the Cho Line towards Gakken-Nara-Tomigaoka and change in Nagato for downtown destinations. If you plan to continue your journey on a Shinkansen high speed train, make sure to go to the right train station, which is Shin-Osaka.
One-way prices start at 200,000 KRW (about 123 EUR) for a bed in an inside cabin. Balcony suites are 500,000 KRW (about 310 EUR), and de-luxe suites up to 750,000 KRW (about 465 EUR).
If you travel solo, a 100,000 KRW (62 EUR) surcharge for single occupancy applies in the deluxe suite. Standard cabins have to be shared with other passengers, when you under-occupy them, which is quite different from ferries in Europe.
There is also a variable bunker surcharge as well as port fees in Busan (7,000 KRW/4,35 EUR), and Osaka (1,700 YEN/10,50 EUR).
Meals are only included in the premium cabin categories.
Bookings can be made directly on Panstar’s website, which provides a lot of useful information as well as downloads of customs and immigration forms for Japan and South Korea.
Rates and currency conversions as of April 2025.
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