Atmospheric Advent season

It’s teatime

A special tip: fans of a sophisticated British afternoon tea should definitely put 28th November in their diaries. Then, KD and the renowned Excelsior Hotel Ernst in Cologne will be inviting you to teatime on board MS RheinFantasie. During the two-hour afternoon cruise, original English scones with clotted cream, home-made jam and lemon curd will be served, alongside a selection of savoury and sweet accompaniments such as sandwiches with smoked salmon or cucumber and cream cheese, mini cakes and tartlets. This is served with a pot of tea, including a wide selection of flavours.

Safety is the number one priority

KD is operating its largest and most modern event boats for the Advent cruises. In Cologne these are MS RheinFantasie and MS Rhein­Energie, in Düsseldorf MS RheinPoesie and MS Loreley, and in Mainz MS Godesburg. On all cruises and services, the safety of passengers and staff is paramount. During the coronavirus pandemic, Köln-Düsseldorfer has demonstrated that it has always adapted to the new circumstances quickly and responsibly and developed sensible concepts. At the same time, KD follows the guidelines of the RKI (Robert Koch Institute) and the local health authorities. Due to the current regulations of the federal states, the “3G rule” (vaccinated, recovered, tested) applies to all boat cruises/restaurants and events. Of course, KD also implements this rule on board its boats. For all events with dancing, such as the evening cruises for the Advent season or the New Year’s Eve events, all passengers who have not been vaccinated against or recovered from coronavirus must present a negative PCR test, no more than 48 hours old.

The key points of the hygiene and protection concept are:

3G – vaccinated, recovered, tested:
Access to the river boat cruises and events on board is only permitted with a valid ticket in combination with proof of a full vaccination, recovery or a negative test. For all parties and cruises with dancing, a negative PCR test is required; for the other services a negative rapid test is sufficient.

Air exchange:
State-of-the-art air-conditioning systems on board the KD event boats provide fresh outside air in all enclosed rooms. This ensures optimal air exchange and the removal of aerosols.

Tickets:
The KD ticket system guarantees simple and fast ticket purchases online. Contactless purchase is also possible at the KD sales points.

Masks:
All guests must wear a medical facemask or a mask meeting the KN95/N95 or FFP2 standards in the entrance area as well as in the waiting areas. All KD staff wear masks and are tested regularly.

Hygiene:
Dispensers with sufficient hand sanitiser can be found in the entrance area of the boats. Contact surfaces are cleaned and disinfected regularly and with increased frequency by staff. The same applies to the passenger bathrooms. The hygiene regulations are shown on signs and displays on board.

Professional musician Martin Frings has been striking the right tone on board for decades

A live band plays atmospheric melodies on the extremely popular all-inclusive Christmas evening cruises in Cologne. In Düsseldorf and Mainz, a DJ provides fitting background music. The repertoire ranges from peaceful sounds, lounge and dinner music to international pop songs and hot German hits. In Cologne, guests will be seeing and hearing Martin Frings again. The musician and bandleader has been a reliable partner of Köln-Düsseldorfer Rheinschiffahrt for more than 20 years. The professional has never experienced anything like the situation in the coronavirus pandemic before.

The former solo saxophonist of the German Armed Forces military band is glad that things are now slowly getting going again. He still remembers his first performance on board the KD. “That was in the summer of 1997 on the Stolzenfels. The conditions on board the KD are perfect for me and my band colleagues. It’s a huge amount of fun to treat the guests to great music.” In his private life, the top musician, who as well as playing the saxophone plays the clarinet, flute and bagpipes, is going through difficult times. “We live in the Eifel. My family, like many others in the region, has been badly affected by the flood disaster. Now we need to come together and rebuild everything.”