Some admire that kind of filial devotion. Yu Garden, one of Shanghai’s best-known attractions, was built between 1559 and 1577 by Ming-era official Pan Yunduan for his parents. The garden covers 121,405 m² (about 1,307,200 sq ft), roughly the combined footprint of Seoul’s Jamsil Lotte World Tower and Lotte World Mall — and recreating it today would cost trillions of KRW (several hundred million to a few billion USD).
Lotte Tour promotes high-end itineraries designed to let parents declare, “Thanks to our children, we’ve had the trip of a lifetime,” offering families an experience to show off for years. Weekly departures pair luxury cruises and business-class flights with five-star hotels and meals at Michelin-starred restaurants. [Editor’s note]
[MyDaily reporter Lee Ji-hye] Lotte Tour is launching an exclusive charter cruise to Hokkaido for Family Month, a six-day itinerary running May 12–17.
Cruises offer passengers mobility and convenience on board while eliminating the repeated packing and unpacking that come with air and rail travel — advantages that make multi-generational trips with grandparents and young children particularly manageable.
May is an ideal time to visit Hokkaido: the island is carpeted in fresh green foliage, cherry blossoms have faded, and the weather is at its most pleasant before summer heat sets in.
The voyage departs from Sokcho Cruise Port and returns to Busan. Sokcho is considerably closer to Hokkaido than Incheon or Busan. With a 4:00 p.m. departure and staggered boarding beginning after 11:00 a.m., passengers can use the morning for sightseeing in Sokcho before boarding.
A recommended half-day itinerary: arrive at Sokcho Cruise Terminal, stroll to Yeonggeumjeong and the lighthouse observatory to take in the East Sea coastline, then cross to Abai Village on a gaetbae — a hand-pulled ferry operated by cable. The gaetbae offers a distinctive local atmosphere unique to Sokcho.
Enjoy lunch in Abai Village — try Abai sundae (blood sausage) and flatfish sashimi cold noodles — then pick up portable snacks from Sokcho Central Market, such as scorched-rice squid sausage, seed-stuffed hotteok, and makgeolli steamed bread, which make excellent shipboard treats. Manseok Dakgangjeong, a top-ranked local specialty, is another must. Plan to return to the terminal around 1:00 p.m. to complete boarding preparations.
The cruise will call at Otaru and Hakodate in Hokkaido.
Otaru, on Hokkaido’s west coast, is a romantic port town whose Ainu name means “river between sandy shores.” Its European-style stone warehouses and canal recall a small Italian canal town. The city, known as a filming location for the movie Love Letter, clusters cafes, glass workshops, and music-box shops along the canal. Otaru Music Box Hall — where visitors can try and buy hundreds of music boxes — is a popular shopping stop. On a sunny May afternoon, a walk along the canal with Hokkaido milk soft-serve in hand captures the appeal of visiting then.
Hakodate, Hokkaido’s southern gateway, is celebrated for its nightscape, ranked among the world’s top three alongside Naples and Hong Kong. The lights of the harbor and city, seen from Mount Hakodate’s observatory, elicit gasps. Cool May evenings heighten the view’s romance. By day, visitors can stroll Motomachi hill, the former British consulate, and Hakodate’s churches to see the port’s foreign-influenced architecture. At Hakodate Morning Market, fresh uni, ikura (salmon roe), and king crab are available, and ika somen — thinly sliced squid dipped in soy sauce — is a local specialty not to miss.
Lotte Tour will operate the Costa Serena — an Italian-flagged ship that completed a refit in 2025. The renovation updated dining venues, including the Archipelago restaurant, a pizzeria, and a sushi bar, and upgraded the onboard pool and some cabins.
As an exclusive Lotte Tour charter, the cruise provides full Korean-language services: shipboard newspapers, announcements, and a cruise leader, plus Korean dinner menus and basic Korean dishes (rice and kimchi). All passengers receive an unlimited beverage package — beer, soft drinks, and bottled water — valued at 200,000 KRW (about $150).
On full days at sea with no port calls, the program includes passenger-participation events: a singing contest, a shipboard dance party, a gogo party, and the Lotte Cruise Star Show. On the final full day at sea before return, veteran singer Namjin — marking his 61st anniversary since debut — will perform on the ship, singing cross-generational hits such as “With You,” “It Breaks My Heart,” and “Hate You but Once More.” Emotional trot star Jo Jung-min will also perform with piano accompaniment.
Charter buses will run from Jamsil, Daejeon, Daegu, Gwangju, and Busan to meet the Sokcho departure.
A Lotte Tour spokesperson called the itinerary “an ideal Family Month choice,” highlighting Hokkaido’s refreshing May weather, romantic Otaru, and Hakodate’s world-class night view. The company also emphasized the differentiated Sokcho departure and the added draw of Namjin’s onboard concert as making the trip an optimal family option.
