Cosmo Line ferry “Princess Wakasa” connecting Kagoshima Prefecture and Tanegashima.

To get to Tanegashima, there is a high-speed boat called Toppy, which takes about an hour one way, but I took the car ferry “Princess Wakasa” that can also take a car.

If you are heading to Tanegashima on Princess Wakasa for the first time, you may have many questions such as “When is the ship leaving?”, “What is the situation on board?”

This time, I tried boarding the Cosmo Line “Princess Wakasa”, so I would like to briefly introduce the inside of the ship and my impressions of actually boarding the ship.

Princess Wakasa ship introduction

Total length: 88.93m
Gross tonnage: 580 tons
Sailing speed: Maximum 19.50 knots (36.11km/h)
Cabin configuration: 222 people (maximum: 350 people)
Loading number: about 43

Access method &Boarding place

for Kagoshima

Boarding place

Kagoshima Prefecture South Wharf Passenger Terminal

Train

About 16 minutes on foot from Izuro-dori Station on the tram

Bus

About 6 minutes on foot from the high-speed ferry terminal (bus stop)

On foot from Kagoshima Chuo Station

It takes about 18 minutes and costs 180 yen from Kagoshima Chuo Station to the high-speed ferry terminal.

If you take the Kagoshima Kotsu [26] Tominato Line bound for Kagoshima Honko [High-Speed Ferry Terminal] from platform 5 or 6 at Kagoshima Chuo Station, you will arrive at the high-speed ferry terminal (bus stop).

The point to keep in mind is that if you don’t take the first bus to the high-speed ferry terminal, you won’t be in time for the ferry.

If you don’t take the first bus from Kagoshima Chuo Station at 6:50 am, the next bus will be at 8:40, so be careful not to miss the Yakushima ferry.

for Tanegashima

Boarding Place

Tanegashima Nishinoomote Port

Bus

Immediately after getting off at Nishinoomote Port (bus stop)

Carry-on fee

If you enjoy surfing in Tanegashima, you may want to bring your own surfboard, but it will be treated as special luggage and will cost 520 yen per board separately from the boarding fee.

Only cash is accepted, so please bring cash if you plan to bring folding bikes or surfboards.

Princess Wakasa boarding fare

All rooms are the same except for deluxe type rooms!

There are four cabins A to D and a promenade lounge on board.

Rooms A, C, and D have seats, and only room B has chairs.

Only room A was a priority seat for the physically challenged.

How to buy a boarding ticket

There is a reception in the building called South Wharf Passenger Terminal.

There was a reception on the right just after entering from the entrance of the building.

This time it’s a ferry to Tanegashima, so if you ask for a Princess Wakasa ticket, you can buy it.

When I told the receptionist that I wanted to buy a ticket, I was guided to hand over a nearby special form with my address and other information filled in.

This time I was bound for Tanegashima, so I filled in the boarding list for Tanegashima shown on the left side of the photo and submitted it to the reception.

The price I paid was 4,370 yen because it is a general adult fee.

By the way, the boarding ticket will be handed over to the crew standing at the boarding gate when boarding the ship, so it will eventually disappear from your hand.

How to make a reservation for Princess Wakasa

Online reservations were not possible, and reservations were only accepted by phone.

The boarding reception starts one hour before the day, so you can get on without making a reservation. .

Ferry Princess Wakasa Ticket Office/Agency

Platform/passenger boarding window Cosmo Line South Wharf window

Platform/passenger boarding window Cosmo Line Nishinoomote window

Vehicles/Cargo Kyusho Port Service Co., Ltd.

Ship timetable

Sailing time is about 3 hours and 30 minutes one way.

Princess Wakasa only runs one round trip per day, so be careful not to miss the train.

Arrival time may be delayed due to weather and sea conditions.

I checked Princess Wakasa’s internet environment

For the time being, I opened the PC and searched for Wi-Fi, but the access point was 0 and there was no Wi-Fi environment.

Within 2 hours after leaving the port, I was still sailing around Ibusuki and Minamiokuma in Kagoshima Prefecture, so I was able to receive some radio waves with my smartphone carrier line, so I was able to browse the internet.

When I went offshore, I was out of range for a while until I arrived at Tanegashima.

Princess Wakasa Onboard Introduction

Entrance Deck

The entrance deck on the second floor was near the boarding gate.

Passenger Room A/C/D

There were several carpeted floors in Princess Wakasa’s passenger room A, C, D.

It feels like lying on the floor during the voyage.

There were only a few rental pillows in the four corners of the room.

For those who sleep, it is also recommended to use a pillow!

Promenade Deck

The Promenade Deck has a large hall with information desks and smoking rooms.

Deluxe A and B rental rooms are also available on the 3rd floor promenade deck.

A monitor showing the current location in real time was installed in the hall of the promenade deck.

Since the speed of the ship is also displayed, you can check it when you think about where you are now.

There were also three newspapers.

Promenade Lounge

It’s a small rest space, and there’s a small desk by the window, so you can enjoy the scenery.

Information Desk

If you have any trouble while on the ship, you can ask at the information desk.

It was in an easy-to-understand place because it was in the hall on the 3rd floor.

Immediately after leaving the port, the curtain was closed, but when it left the port, the curtain opened !

Smoking Room

There is a window in the smoking area, so you can take a break while watching the scenery.

Restroom

It was near the hall on the promenade deck.

Facing the direction of passenger cabin C, the left was for women and the right was for men.

There was also a multipurpose toilet, but it was prohibited to use it.

Vending machine corner

In the vending machine corner, there were vending machines for ice cream as well as drinks.

There is also a microwave oven, so you can heat up the rice balls and lunch boxes you bought at the convenience store in advance and eat them!

Rooftop floor sky deck

There are 4 benches on the sky deck on the roof, and you can sail while feeling the pleasant sea breeze.

The top of the bench was probably covered with a white framed pole that looked like it had a roof.

When I boarded the ship, the sky in Kagoshima was cloudy, but Tanegashima was sunny, so the view was amazing!

If you check the weather forecast for Tanegashima before boarding, I think you’ll be able to enjoy the best cruise ( ´ ▽ ` )

To close

This time, I boarded the Cosmo Line’s Princess Wakasa and headed from Kagoshima Prefecture to Tanegashima.

While I was heading to Tanegashima this time, the sea seemed to be rough and the boat shook a lot, so I had to use the toilet several times.

It was a large car ferry that took 3 hours and 30 minutes one way, but there is also a high-speed boat called Toppy, which takes about an hour from Kagoshima to Tanegashima.

By the way, each one-way fare is 4,370 yen for Princess Wakasa and 10,300 yen for the high-speed boat Toppy.

If you want to enjoy a leisurely voyage at a low price, please try the Princess Wakasa, and if you are in a hurry but double the price, try the high-speed boat.

If you are heading to Tanegashima on Princess Wakasa, please be careful (´ω｀)

Have a nice voyage (^O^)/