Holland America Line has introduced two shore excursion collections intended to immerse guests in locals' lives.
There are more than 150 excursions categorized as Meet the Maker or Community Connections experiences.
Meet the Maker tours connect passengers with trade workers such as artisans, chefs and farmers. In Burnie, Tasmania, the Tassie Tasting Trail excursion will transport guests through the countryside to visit a local chocolatier, a family that pond-raises salmon, a cheese factory and a cider company. Included are food samples and lunch.
Another Meet the Maker tour in Katákolon, Greece, includes a visit to a fourth-generation family farm, with visits to olive groves and farm animals and a dance demonstration.
Community Connections tours, meanwhile, are intended to immerse guests in the community and the experience of what it is like to live in the destination. That may include meetings with locals and tours of neighborhoods that are not traditional tourist destinations.
A Community Connections excursion in Waitangi, New Zealand, will include a canoe ride after a traditional Maori welcome. The excursion is meant to demonstrate the relationship between the Maori and the water.
In Cobh, Ireland, excursion guests will visit the home of a local chef, where they help prepare a three-course traditional lunch.