Holland America Line Shore Excursions
- Sign up for a shore excursion on most Holland America cruises.cruise ship image by Kate Jones from Fotolia.com
Cruising allows passengers to travel to multiple destinations in the same trip. At those various destinations, passengers can get off the ship to explore the island or city the ship docks in. Most cruise lines also offer organized shore excursions that passengers can sign up to participate in. The shore excursions usually cost an extra fee, but passengers do not need to worry about doing any of the planning or arranging for transportation to and from the excursion; the cruise line handles all of that. Holland America has several possible excursions passengers can sign up for. - Snorkeling is one of the most popular shore excursions on all tropical Holland America cruises. Many excursions offer snorkel combinations with other activities like biking on the beach or zip line tours through the jungle. A snorkeling shore excursion provides all the snorkel gear and instruction you need, plus transportation to and from the snorkeling destination. Longer excursions also provide meals. In Cozumel, many snorkel excursions are offered, including Clear Kayak & Beach Snorkel Adventure, Bike & Snorkel Beach Break and Dune Buggy & Beach Snorkel Combo.
Scuba diving excursions are also available in all warm weather ports, as are Snuba excursions, which is like a cross between snorkeling and scuba diving. - Holland America offers several shore excursions that teach visitors about different aspects of a port's culture and history. Many of these are guided tours that involve little walking or minimal physical activity, so anyone can participate. Visit ancient ruins or other cultural attractions to learn more about the history of each port on your vacation. In Mexico, you can visit various Mayan ruins. In Hawaii, you can sign up for several of these kinds of excursions, including A Patriotic 1940's Evening on the Battleship Missouri, Hawaii's Royal History Tour and An Evening at the Polynesian Cultural Center.
- Many people love to eat on vacation, especially cruises, since the food seems to never stop coming. Take a break from the cruise ship food and sign up for an excursion that allows you to taste and learn about different food and drink from a specific port on your cruise. Learn about making tequila in Mexico, complete with a sampling of various kinds. Or, in Alaska, you can sign up for A Taste of Fairbanks to see how Alaskan food is prepared or an Alaska Salmon Bake excursion to taste authentic Alaskan salmon. Other options include various party cruises, where drinks flow freely and various buffet food is served.
