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Our first cruise adventure is set for mid-September 2026 from Busan! Get the inside scoop on booking the MSC Bellissima, our 4-night itinerary, and why an inside cabin was our perfect choice.
Get ready for some exciting news! This mid-September 2026, my family and I are embarking on our very first cruise adventure!
My mom has always dreamed of a cruise, and one day she surprised me by mentioning there was an itinerary departing right from Busan, South Korea!
Until then, I'd always thought cruises were something you had to fly overseas for. The idea of setting sail from our local port in Busan immediately piqued my interest. I knew this was the perfect opportunity to finally experience a cruise, so we decided to make it a memorable family trip with my folks.
While there are numerous cruise booking websites out there, we ended up using a platform called Polytrips.
Full disclosure, it wasn't a site I discovered on my own; my mom actually recommended it! She had researched various options previously and found Polytrips to be incredibly user-friendly. So, for this family trip, we all booked through them.
The ship we booked for our adventure is the magnificent MSC Bellissima. Our chosen itinerary is a 4-night, 5-day journey departing from Busan, making stops in Jeju Island and Shanghai, before returning to Busan.
Apparently, there were also itineraries that visited Japan depending on the departure date, but those dates were already fully booked! It seems to be a popular option. I honestly thought all cruise routes were pretty much the same, so it was a pleasant surprise to learn that the ports of call can vary significantly based on your departure date.
If you're looking into a cruise departing from Busan, I highly recommend checking the full itinerary for your desired dates, rather than just the ship's name alone.
The MSC Bellissima offers four main cabin categories: Inside, Ocean View (Window), Balcony, and Suite.
Without much hesitation, we immediately opted for an Inside cabin. The main reason? Inside cabins are significantly more affordable!
An Inside cabin, as the name suggests, has no windows. However, this wasn't an issue for us. We figure we'll primarily be using the cabin for sleeping anyway.
With so much to explore and experience on a cruise ship, from dining to entertainment and activities, we anticipate spending very little time actually in our room. That's why we chose the Inside cabin – it offers the best value for money, allowing us to allocate our budget to enjoying all the ship has to offer!
For our Inside cabin, the total cost for two people was ~$998, which breaks down to approximately ~$499 per person.
I booked this trip back in February 2026, so I don't recall the exact prices for other cabin categories at that time. However, 2027 schedules are currently available and selling as shown in the image.
Considering that the most affordable cabins for 2027 departures are starting at ~$549 per person, I feel pretty good about the deal we snagged!
After booking through Polytrips, we received our confirmation via email. Since our family booked two cabins in total, we also requested that our parents' cabin and our cabin be located next to each other.
Booking a cruise for the first time felt quite different from planning a typical overseas trip. If you're new to cruise booking like us, I recommend double-checking at least the following details:
⚓ Departure and Arrival Ports
⚓ Ports of Call and Itinerary for Your Specific Departure Date
⚓ Cruise Ship Name
⚓ Cabin Type
⚓ Number of Guests per Cabin
⚓ Actual Payment Amount
⚓ Cabin and Booking Class listed on Your Confirmation Document
There's still a little time before we set sail, but writing this post has made the whole experience feel incredibly real! It's funny how booking it didn't quite hit the same way.
The biggest advantage for my family, hands down, is the ability to depart directly from Busan. As Busan is our hometown, it feels familiar and convenient. Not having to travel to another country just to board our cruise ship makes this first-time cruise feel incredibly low-stress and accessible.
I'm so excited to see what our 4-night, 5-day adventure on the MSC Bellissima holds! How will we dine, explore, and simply enjoy our time on board?
Once we're back, I'll be sure to document everything: from the boarding process and our inside cabin review, to all the amazing activities and delicious food we experienced on the cruise. Stay tuned for more!
The author booked the MSC Bellissima cruise through Polytrips. The booked itinerary was a 4-night, 5-day journey departing from Busan, stopping in Jeju and Shanghai, and then returning to Busan.
The author chose the cheapest Inside cabin. The booking price for an Inside cabin for two people was $998, which was $499 per person.
The main reason was that the Inside cabin was the most affordable. Additionally, the author anticipated not spending much time in the cabin, so the lack of a window was not considered an issue.
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Polytrips: Real-time Booking Platform for Worldwide Cruise Travel