Finding Excursion on our Ship?

[FredLenore]

We'll be on the Maasdam in September and we'd like to find out about local excursions including Nagasaki and Sydney.  How do we find these local excursions based on the ship we'll be on?

Does anybody have experience with this, and how do we know if it's safe to trust the tour guide?  I mean, should we pay ahead of time, or when we meet with the guide? 

Edited July 14, 2019 by FredLenore
Clarifying my question

[Underwatr]

Holland America's website will have a page for your sailing that will list the excursions available to book in each port.

 

If you're interested in booking independent excursions there are websites that consolidate these per port (I think Cruise Critic is promoting Viator, which in one such website, with a 10% discount).

[Shmoo here]

22 minutes ago, FredLenore said:

We'll be on the Maasdam in September and we'd like to find out about local excursions including Nagasaki and Sydney.  How do we find these local excursions based on the ship we'll be on?

Does anybody have experience with this, and how do we know if it's safe to trust the tour guide?  I mean, should we pay ahead of time, or when we meet with the guide? 

You need to go to your cruiseline's website, call up your reservation, and look for a link to "shore excursions" or "port adventures".  That should take you to the place that will list the excursions you cruise will have, and where you can sign up (and pay) for them.

 

I'm not sure if you're asking about the excursions available through the cruise line or not, but any excursions booked through them would have good guides.  

Edited July 14, 2019 by Shmoo here

[crystalspin]

53 minutes ago, FredLenore said:

We'll be on the Maasdam in September and we'd like to find out about local excursions including Nagasaki and Sydney.  How do we find these local excursions based on the ship we'll be on?

If you are looking for your Roll Call, the 'board' restricted to people on your cruise, which is where people share the private tours they've found with the hopes of others joining them, it is here:

Maasdam 28-Aug 26-Sept 2019

 

Appears your ship is full, as these dates do not come up at all on Holland America site! Your Roll Call has 75 people before you even join. There are 28 pages with 25 posts per page; you will want to read through all of them (don't feel bad, last cruise I got behind I had to read 46 pages!) because someone may have posted a private tour that subsequently has all it can hold. Take notes so you know who to get back to if there is something you want to join. Have fun!

 

[FredLenore]

Thank you very much! (to Crystalspin)