DBS Ferry, Donghae to Vladivostok

Ferry to Vladivostok.

DBS Ferry Eastern Dream

DBS Cruise Ferries

DBS Ferry Eastern Dream at Vladivostok

The DBS ferry appears to go about once a week from Donghae. It does a return journey of Sakaiminato, Japan, to Donghae, Korea, to Vladivostok, Russia. It left at 2pm on a Sunday.

DBS Ferry return route

We got to the port around 3 hours beforehand with an 'e ticket'. You still need to go to the 'boarding’ desk to collect your actual ticket showing your berth. There is a 5,000 Won departure tax payment. There is a bureau de change and atm in the hall. The atm, unlike a lot of others in Korea, takes UK bank cards.

From this point onwards until Berlin we had booked through Real Russia, as discussed earlier.

There are various classes of travel. Ranging from sleeping in a large room  on the floor to the Presidential suite. The highest class of travel we were able to book, due to ferry being on demand, was 1^st class. 

DBS Ferry terminal, Donghae, Korea

At baggage check we had our vegetable knife taken, to be given back at the end of the trip.

A number of ‘seasoned ‘travellers had brought along snacks, drinks etc for the journey. I am not sure if you can take alcohol on board as they opened and sniffed my bottles of water, but missed the whiskey in the plastic bottles in my luggage. There is alcohol available on board.

 As you can see from the photos the cabin is fairly cosy. 

1st class cabin, DBS Ferries, Donghae to Vladivostok

There are 4 sleeping mats with duvets and pillows. We asked if we were sharing our supposed 1^st class cabin. Nobody was sure until we left port. 4 people would have been very cosy! There is a shower, toilet and wash basin en suite. There was a TV showing 4 channels, all in ‘foreign,’ a fridge, and a 240V transformer. We found if you unplug the fridge, then our kettle we take with us everywhere would work with the transformer.

You can charge up your mobile, if you have the wires, etc in reception for 1,000 won.

Reception area, DBS Ferry, Eastern Queen

Don’t be fooled by the various propaganda videos on You Tube re DBS Ferries. This is a functional ferry from A to B. The food is basic. The sleeping in 1^st class is uncomfortable, and the ‘Colors nightclub’ is worth a visit, if nothing else to see various drunken nationalities dancing like your dad at a wedding.

We were lucky enough to have our own cabin, as there is a lack of seating areas on board where you can chill out and watch the sea, and world, go by.

The main bar, 'Zester bar', has a lot of seating, which you can use as long as you don’t bring your own food and drink in. If you are thinking of having a picnic then you need to go on deck, which can be windy and cold, or seat on the limited seating on the ‘ground’ floor.

Zester Bar, DBS Ferry, Eastern Queen

Be aware that the only money taken on board this part of the trip, was Won or US$. There are no ATMS or bureau de change.

There is a free cold and hot water fountain on board. Bottled water and beer are available from the shop which is open until midnight.

There are a number of areas which I did not access, or find, namely the Spa/sauna and the group restaurant.

The trip is approx.. 22 hours. Vladivostok is 1 hour in front of Donghae.

About 2 hours prior to landing. I saw people queuing up to disembark. Not sure why, until we berthed. It seems that once we berthed we had to wait 50 mins for the first people to disembark, and then people were let off in groups of about 20. We were lucky in that we were near the front and it took us about 2 hours to get off.   

Needless to say we forgot to collect the vegetable knife.

We stayed at Azimut Hotel, a short walk from the port of Vladivostok.