MS VistaStar

MS VistaStar is a 4-star, hotel-ranked riverboat owned by Königstein River Cruises GmbH and operated under charter by 1avista Reisen. The new ship (built in 2018 in Holland) is stylishly furnished, featuring spacious interiors and excellent service delivered by a professional staff and crew.

VistaStar cruises on the Rhine, Moselle, and Main rivers, with roundtrip departures from homeport Cologne/Köln, Germany, and also sails the Dutch and Belgian inland waterways.

Most passengers are German-speaking.

Shipboard Facilities

MS VistaStar has four passenger decks and offers a complimentary Panorama Restaurant (5-star dining room, also accessible via a stairlift), a lobby area (ship entrances, 24-hour Reception Desk, Tour Office), Panorama Salon-Bar (main lounge with dance floor), Boutique Shop (souvenirs, logoed apparel, jewelry, cosmetics, toiletries, sweets), Library (reading lounge with books, DVDs, puzzles, board games), and a Sun Deck with shaded seating areas (retractable awnings, 4-seat tables), sunbathing area (deckchairs, loungers), and deck games (mini-golf putting green, Shuffleboard). Spa Magrodome (located aft) is a premium wellness complex covered by a retractable glass roof and features an infinity pool, sauna (6-person, free of charge, advance reservation required), Pool Bar, Gym (with modern equipment), and a Beauty Parlor (hairdresser and barber services).

Solar panels installed on the Sun Deck provide supplemental onboard power. One passenger Lift connects all cabin decks, and additional staircases are located forward, midship, and aft. Laundry and ironing services, bicycle rental, Wi-Fi (WLAN), Internet access, and shore excursions are available at extra cost. Smoking is permitted only in the designated area on the Sun Deck. Bicycles are carried onboard and can be rented at the Reception Desk.

Onboard dining is complimentary, with fixed seating and includes buffet breakfasts and lunches, and waiter-served 4-course dinners featuring themed menus and regional specialties based on the cruise itinerary. Dinner main courses are pre-selected at noon from an à-la-carte menu. All meals are served during common dining hours. Afternoon tea/coffee with cakes and pastries, as well as late-night snacks, are provided. Open bar and table drinks—including draft beer, house wine, soft drinks (cola, lemonade, juices, mineral water), tea and coffee—are included from 8:00 to 24:00. Special dietary needs (gluten-free, lactose-free, diabetic options, etc.) are available on request and must be communicated in advance. The traditional Captain’s Reception (cocktail party) and Captain’s Dinner (gala menu) are formal events held in the Restaurant.

The breakfast buffet (7:00–9:00 am) includes a variety of breads and rolls, eggs, bacon, sausages, cheeses, dairy products, yogurts, fresh fruit, and muesli. Lunch buffet opening hours depend on the cruise itinerary and shore excursion schedules. Lunch offerings include one fish dish, one meat dish, hot sides, soup, salad buffet, and desserts. On embarkation day, coffee/tea and cakes are served briefly near the Restaurant. On non-tour days, afternoon cake is served in the Lounge; on tour days, offerings are limited to tea/coffee and midnight snacks (canapés).

The 4-course dinner is table-served and includes two appetizers, one soup, one main course (selected in advance), and one dessert. Main course options always include both a meat and a fish selection. Light diets, vegetarian dishes, and dietary requirements are accommodated. The waiting staff—mostly from Eastern Europe—is German-speaking, well-trained, friendly, and attentive.

Onboard entertainment in the Salon-Bar/Lounge includes live music, crew shows, card and board games, bingo, quizzes, skat tournaments, napkin-folding lessons, and evening dance parties. Optional shore excursions are available at every port of call along the itinerary. Complimentary maps and tour information are provided at each stop.

Cabins

MS VistaStar has 98 outside staterooms. All double cabins are equally sized (16 m² / 170 ft²), while the four Standard cabins are slightly smaller (15 m² / 160 ft²) and feature two separate lower beds (80 x 200 cm), arranged parallel or in an L-shape, and non-convertible to a double. One bed functions as a daytime sofa, while the other is foldaway. Single cabins have one lower and one upper bunk bed. Some twin cabins may be booked as singles (with a 50% supplement). Main Deck cabins (Comfort and Standard categories) do not have opening windows and allow triple/quad occupancy via 3rd/4th Pullman upper bunks. All Middle and Upper Deck cabins feature French Balconies (floor-to-ceiling sliding doors opening to a railing).

All MS VistaStar cabins offer standard amenities, including either French Balcony (slide-opening windows) or fixed portholes, en-suite bathroom (single-sink vanity, WC, shower, under-sink storage, magnifying mirror, hairdryer, razor socket), hotel-style beds (double convertible to twins) with leather LED-lit headboards, flat-screen TV (satellite channels, ship information channel, real-time bow camera, weather forecast), phone (onboard calls only), mirrored vanity table (writing desk), bedside cabinets, wall-mounted reading lamps, low round table with two chairs, mirrored wardrobe (hanging storage, no drawers), radio, electronic safe, 220V sockets, and individually controlled air conditioning. VIP cabins receive a welcome basket with sparkling wine and a gift.

Cabin categories include:

• Double/Triple/Quad Cabins (fixed portholes near the ceiling) — categories HD2, HD3, Comfort, and HDV/Standard (Main Deck).
• Deluxe Double Cabins (French Balcony) — categories OD2, ODA, ODV (Upper Deck).
• Superior Double Cabins (French Balcony) — categories MD2, MDA (Middle Deck).
• Single Cabins (French Balcony) — categories MD1 (Middle Deck), OD1 (Upper Deck), HD1 (Main Deck).

When two full-paying adults occupy a double stateroom, or one full-paying adult occupies a single cabin with an extra bed, kids and teens (ages 2–19) travel for free (sleeping in a folding bed).

The vessel is not suitable for wheelchair users, as many moorings are not handicap-accessible.

1avista VistaStar Cruise Itineraries

Below are all 1avista VistaStar itineraries (roundtrips from Cologne, Germany) listed with call ports and port times.

• 4-day “Christmas Shopping” — Amsterdam (9 am–1 am; 2 days) and Nijmegen (9 am–3 pm). Cologne departure: 3:30 pm; arrival: 9 am.
• 4-day “Christmas Market Trip from/to Cologne” — Bonn (6:30 pm–12:30 pm; 2 days), Koblenz (6 am–12 pm), Rüdesheim (6 am–11:45 pm), Frankfurt am Main (7 am–1 pm), Mainz (6 pm–11:45 pm). Cologne departure: 3:30 pm; arrival: 9:30 am.
• 10-day “Christmas Trip from/to Cologne” — Bonn (6:30 pm–12:30 pm; 2 days), Koblenz (6 am–12 pm), Rüdesheim (6 am–10 pm), Frankfurt am Main (8 am–6 pm), Speyer (9 am–7 pm), Strasbourg (7 am–5 pm), Basel (7 am–7 pm), Breisach (1 am–2 pm), Mainz (8 am–11:45 am), St. Goarshausen (8 am–12 pm), Andernach (4 pm–11:45 pm). Cologne departure: 3:30 pm; arrival: 9 am.
• 8-day “Experience the Carnival on the Rhine” — Mainz (10 am–11:45 pm), Mannheim (10 am–7 am; 2 days), Worms (8:30 am–7 pm), Frankfurt am Main (8 am–2 pm). Cologne departure: 4 pm; arrival: 5 am.
• 5-day “Short Break Holland” — Amsterdam (10 am–4:30 am; 2 days), Lelystad (9 am–12 pm), Hoorn (2 pm–9 pm), Nijmegen (8 am–3 pm). Cologne departure: 5 pm; arrival: 8 am.
• 8-day “New Year’s Eve Trip from/to Cologne” — Nijmegen (12:15 pm–4 pm), Antwerp (6 am–7 pm; 2 days), Rotterdam (2 am–1 am; 2 days), Amsterdam (9 am–11:45 pm), Arnhem (10 am–4 pm). Cologne departure: 3 pm; arrival: 8 am.
• 8-day “Holland and Belgium” — Amsterdam (10 am–4:30 am; 2 days), Lelystad (9 am–12 pm), Hoorn (2 pm–10 pm), Rotterdam (8 am–1 pm), Willemstad (4–7 pm), Antwerp (7 am–8 pm), Nijmegen (9 am–3 pm). Cologne departure: 5 pm; arrival: 8 am.
• 8-day “Mosel-Romance” — Rüdesheim (2–10 pm), Alken (5–11:30 am), Zell (7 pm–5 am; 2 days), Bernkastel-Kues (9 am–3 pm), Piesport (7 pm–5 am), Trier (9 am–11 pm), Cochem (12:30–10 pm), Winningen (2–10 am), Koblenz (12 am–10 pm). Cologne departure: 11 pm; arrival: 8 am.
• 8-day “Rhein-Romance” — Rüdesheim (3–9:30 pm), Speyer (8 am–6 pm), Strasbourg (6 am–4:30 pm), Basel (8 am–6 pm), Breisach (1–1:30 pm), Mannheim (7 am–12 pm), Mainz (4–10 pm). Cologne departure: 11:30 pm; arrival: 8 am.

1avista customers booking B2Bs (back-to-back cruises) with a minimum combined duration of 7 days receive EUR 40 per person in onboard credit. Solo travelers booking single cabins pay a reduced surcharge of EUR 50 per person.

1avista Reisen cruise fares include:

• river cruise and stateroom accommodation
• shipboard dining — breakfast buffet, waiter-served lunch and afternoon coffee/tea (with pastries), waiter-served dinner, late-night snacks
• Captain’s Dinner (special menu), Welcome Cocktail Party (Bar Lounge)
• unlimited beverages (8 am–12 midnight) — house wine, draft beer, soft drinks (cola, lemonade, juices, mineral water), tea, coffee
• onboard facilities and live entertainment
• German-speaking tour guide
• luggage handling during embarkation and debarkation
• all government taxes and port fees

Not included in the cruise fares are arrival/departure and transfers (to/from the boat), personal expenses, tours (shore excursions), and gratuities (recommended EUR 7 per person per day).