Hakone Pirate Ship. How to buy 1st class?

I see how to buy the Hakone Pirate Ship ticket (or Hakone Free Pass), but I never saw a possibility to buy or upgrade to the 1st class.

Can we buy it only in the port, or is it possible to get it online as well?

Is it possible to get it in advance like a few days or a few hours before the trip?

Thank you.

Does it have a first class? It's a ferry.

Yes, ferries and sightseeing ships in Japan often have first class, including the boats of one of the two boat operators in Hakone.

As for the actual question, I looked into it and I am not able to find a way to book the first class fee in advance. I was not even able to find information on where exactly you can buy the upgrades. I suspect at the pier, but I have also encountered sightseeing boats in other parts of Japan, where the upgrades could only be purchased on board of the boats after boarding.

Yes they do have First Class, sometimes also called "Special Room". It is in front of the boat, has a great view to the front, is less crowded and there is lookout tower on the deck. All for a little extra fee.

However, I only saw one recent youtube video whith ticket sale at the cash desk in the port and read a post from 2016 in this forum about purchasig these tickets on board, but i guess much can have changed since then :) First class also has priority to board the ship, so buying it on board wouldn't make sense.

Buy access on board the ship. I have never bothered, but it could be nice especially if travelling on a weekend when crowds are bigger.

I went on a Hakone Pirate ship in October 2024. I bought 2 First Class tickets on the day at the Pier counter where tickets are sold. The extra small fee for First Class was worth it because of the available seats for such passengers and less crowds there.

If you are into collecting stamps of places visited, the staff at the ticket counter are most helpful in showing you where to do this in your book.

Enjoy the trip.