{"id":4010,"date":"2026-07-08T01:02:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T16:02:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linksboo.blog\/travel\/western-mediterranean-cruise-9-nights-11-days-travel-days-1-2-milan-savona\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T01:28:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T16:28:21","slug":"mediterranean-cruise-milan-savona","status":"publish","type":"lb_travel","link":"https:\/\/linksboo.blog\/en\/travel\/mediterranean-cruise-milan-savona\/","title":{"rendered":"Western Mediterranean Cruise 9 Nights 11 Days Travel Days 1-2: Milan & Savona"},"content":{"rendered":"

9 Nights 11 Days Western Mediterranean Cruise: Days 1-2 Itinerary via Milan<\/a> to Savona Cruise Port<\/h2>\n

Milan<\/a> The journey for our 9-night, 11-day Western Mediterranean cruise began with long hours of travel. As this was my first package tour, I started with a mix of excitement and apprehension. Days 1 and 2 of the itinerary focused on departure preparations at Incheon Airport and the transfer via Milan<\/a> to the Savona cruise terminal. (Ms. Lee Ji-in, our tour escort from Lotte Tour, was incredibly kind! I won’t forget her.)<\/p>\n

\n\"Incheon
Incheon Airport<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I arrived early for the 10 AM meeting time and decided to use the lounge. After quickly completing the check-in process, I entered the lounge, but I was disappointed that I couldn’t use other lounges. Nevertheless, after a hearty meal at the lounge and some window shopping at the duty-free stores, it was soon time to board the plane.<\/p>\n

\n\"Incheon
Incheon Airport<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I had only slept a little to prepare for the long 12-hour flight. Once I boarded the plane, which was delayed by about 30 minutes, sleepiness washed over me. The in-flight meal, served about an hour after takeoff, was bibimbap, which I thoroughly enjoyed.<\/p>\n

\n\"Korean
Korean Air In-flight Meal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After dozing off for a while, a snack was served, but it was ordinary. Soon after, the second meal was provided. Since I had been sitting for so long, my digestion wasn’t great, so I only ate a little fruit and left most of it. My mother had the Bulgogi set meal.<\/p>\n

\n\"Korean
Korean Air In-flight Meal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Arrival at Milan Malpensa Airport and Transfer to Hotel<\/h3>\n

Milan<\/a> Milan<\/a> Arriving at Milan Malpensa Airport, I couldn’t quite believe I had entered Europe for the first time. Feeling tired and a slight stomach ache, I took a tourist bus to the Novotel Milano Malpensa Aeroporto, about a 15-minute ride away.<\/p>\n

\n\"Milan
Milan Malpensa Airport<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Near the hotel, there was a supermarket called ‘coop’ that stayed open late, so I took a quick look. Since it was the first day, I didn’t buy anything, but I got to experience the self-checkout system.<\/p>\n

\n\"Supermarket
Supermarket near Novotel Milano Malpensa Aeroporto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As soon as I entered the room, I experienced culture shock. The manual bidet next to the toilet and the bidet towel were unfamiliar, but there was also a swimming pool, which I only photographed through the window.<\/p>\n

\n\"Room
Room at Novotel Milano Malpensa Aeroporto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The next morning, my previous meal hadn’t been fully digested, so I had a simple breakfast.<\/p>\n

\n\"Breakfast
Breakfast at Novotel Milano Malpensa Aeroporto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Transfer to Savona Cruise Terminal<\/h3>\n

After 8 PM, I put on my receiver and boarded the bus. I intended to sleep, as they said it would take about 3 hours to reach the Savona terminal, but the escort’s continuous explanations kept me awake, making me even more tired. I was impressed by the escort who provided various information without a break for two hours.<\/p>\n

At the rest stop ‘Autogrill Stura Ovest’ we visited during the journey, I had a bewildering experience with a strong ammonia smell and the lack of toilet seat covers. I realized I lacked sufficient prior information about traveling in Europe.<\/p>\n

\n\"Rest
Rest stop on the way to Savona Terminal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Boarding the Costa Smeralda and First Evening<\/h3>\n

Upon arriving at the Savona terminal, I completed the boarding procedures. I was disappointed because people gathered around when I tried to take a photo in front of the palm trees.<\/p>\n

\n\"Savona
Savona Terminal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As soon as I boarded, I had dinner before unpacking my luggage. The tomato pasta was delicious, and the meat dish felt similar to a Korean buffet.<\/p>\n

\n\"Dinner
Dinner on Costa Smeralda<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The balcony room was fantastic. The bed was well-positioned, and above all, the view of the sea was breathtaking. There was a swimming pool on the same floor, and the elevator was close by, making it convenient. This was the moment I truly felt I was on a European trip.<\/p>\n

\n\"Balcony
Balcony Room on Costa Smeralda<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With time left until departure, I disembarked and looked around. There wasn’t much to see near the terminal, which was a bit disappointing, but as I browsed the souvenir shops, I regretted not having studied more about wine beforehand.<\/p>\n

\n\"Savona
Savona Port<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Seeking refuge from the hot sun, I took a short break at a nearby cafe, enjoying a cold beer. After waving goodbye to the departing ship and completing the emergency preparedness drill, it was already time for dinner.<\/p>\n

\n\"Cafe
Cafe in Savona<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I enjoyed the evening course meal at the best table with a window view. The pre-meal bread was delicious, though served late, and I could choose a different menu each day. Initially, I found some dishes didn’t suit my taste and left a lot, but as I gradually adapted, I began to enjoy all the menu items.<\/p>\n

\n\"Evening
Evening Course Meal on Costa Smeralda<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Up to the second day, the focus was on travel and adjusting to the cruise without any specific sightseeing. However, I was filled with anticipation for the journey that lay ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Western Mediterranean 9-night, 11-day cruise travel, days 1-2: Details the journey to Milan and Savona cruise terminal, and the Costa Smeralda boarding experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3381,"template":"","meta":[],"lb_topic":[479,162,550],"lb_month":[],"lb_year":[],"lb_location":[637,638,639],"linkboo-tag":[],"class_list":["post-4010","lb_travel","type-lb_travel","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","lb_topic-accommodation","lb_topic-experience","lb_topic-transport","lb_location-italy","lb_location-lombardy","lb_location-milan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksboo.blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lb_travel\/4010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksboo.blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lb_travel"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksboo.blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/lb_travel"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksboo.blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksboo.blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksboo.blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"lb_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksboo.blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lb_topic?post=4010"},{"taxonomy":"lb_month","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksboo.blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lb_month?post=4010"},{"taxonomy":"lb_year","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksboo.blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lb_year?post=4010"},{"taxonomy":"lb_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksboo.blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lb_location?post=4010"},{"taxonomy":"linkboo-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksboo.blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/linkboo-tag?post=4010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}