Christmas on the Rhine - MS Oscar Wilde
Holiday Highlights
- Seven nights on board in your choice of luxury cabin or suite, with winter river views
- Return scheduled flights from 7 regional airports or seats on Eurostar from London St Pancras International and TGV
- Six visits and tours including guided tours of Koblenz, Rüdesheim, Speyer, Strasbourg, Boppard and Cologne
- Live classical music concert on board
- All meals on board from dinner on your day of arrival through to breakfast on your day of departure, including welcome cocktails, a welcome dinner, a Christmas Day Gala Dinner and the Captain’s Dinner
- Five-star service from an English-speaking crew and knowledgeable local guides
- Complimentary on-board tea and coffee
- Complimentary on-board Wi-Fi
- Services of a Riviera Travel cruise director and concierge
- All port charges, airport taxes and overseas transfers
What's Included
- Prices are per person, based on two people sharing a twin cabin with a limited number of sole occupancy cabins available on all decks at the relevant supplement. The price includes:
- Full board from dinner on your day of arrival until breakfast on your final day; if you choose to travel with us on any of the full day excursions by coach, a packed lunch will be provided. Anyone choosing to stay on the ship may of course have lunch in the restaurant
- Welcome cocktails
- Christmas Day Gala Dinner
- Morning/afternoon tea and coffee
- All visits and excursions as mentioned in the itinerary
- Overseas transfers
- Coach travel as mentioned
- The services of a Riviera Travel cruise director and concierge
Itinerary
Day 1
Arrive at the airport for your flight to Düsseldorf or Cologne, or take the Eurostar to Brussels from London St Pancras International. On arrival, transfer by coach to your cruise ship moored in the heart of picturesque Cologne. The city will look quite magnificent at this very special time of year, with fairy lights twinkling along the harbourside and the monumental Christmas tree standing proudly against a historic backdrop. The dedicated English-speaking crew will welcome you aboard your first-class floating hotel, ensuring you settle into your luxurious, well-equipped cabin and familiarise yourself with the ship. Marvel at the elegant décor at every turn: lush garlands, baubles in jewelled tones and a grandiose Christmas tree.
Day 2
To really get in the Christmas mood, nothing beats waking up on board to find you’re already cruising through an entrancing winter wonderland. Enjoy a leisurely breakfast this morning and relax while a kaleidoscope of riverside views drifts by in all their seasonal glory. The festive period is a magical time to visit this picturesque part of Germany, and no country does it better. The historic Yuletide markets here are the ideal places to soak up the spellbinding atmosphere while seeking out unusual presents for friends and family back home. After lunch on board we arrive in the historic city of Koblenz. Strategically situated at the confluence of the rivers Rhine and Moselle, this 2,000-year-old city with its mighty fortress towering above, is full of appeal. Forest-covered hillsides dominate the skyline, whilst the lower slopes are strewn with the pretty, half-timbered buildings so typical of the Rhineland. Koblenz is also known for the Deutches Eck, translating as German Corner, a point between the Rhine and Moselle with a spectacular view. Enjoy a guided tour, seeing the principal monuments, discovering ancient squares, admiring beautifully restored historic house frontages and quaint hidden passageways. Located in the atmospheric old town, Koblenz’s Christmas market is one of the largest in the Rhineland. As you browse its enticing stalls, the aroma of hot chestnuts and mouth-watering sausages fills the air; don’t forget to pay a visit to the Christmas bakery, making the famous Stollen – the delicious bread made with candied and dried fruit, nuts and marzipan, traditionally eaten at this time of year. As the Christmas lights glow brighter in the cool evening air, it’s time to head back to the inviting warmth of the ship’s lounge for welcome cocktails and canapés before a delicious dinner and a festive folklore show.
Click here to take a virtual tour of the MS Oscar Wilde
It is extremely difficult to convey just how extraordinary this outstanding ship really is and exactly what distinguishes it from similar vessels. It would be very easy to just say ‘luxurious’ but it’s much more than that; we have deliberately avoided the current trend for a minimalist style where you could be anywhere in the world, creating instead a unique yet exquisite blend of understated taste, style and elegance at the highest level. Immediately striking is just how exceptionally spacious this new vessel is as you enter a gleaming, richly coloured marble-floored lobby flooded with natural light from a stunning atrium above. Moving inside, exceptional creativity from Europe’s finest design studio has produced a superbly balanced masterpiece of onboard style, utilising sustainable rich hardwoods, gleaming brass and polished copper, sparkling glass and intricate wrought iron. The ship is beautifully illuminated throughout – including the exterior and imaginatively furnished with harmonious colour schemes, all designed to create the serene atmosphere reflective of the golden age of cruising which time after time you tell us you adore.
The restaurant rivals the finest on shore establishments taking fine dining to another level complemented by delicate European porcelain, gleaming glassware and the intuitive service in which the Swiss excel. This superb vessel carries 44 in-house trained crew members serving just 167 guests (similar size vessels may carry well over 190 passengers) giving the ratio which our experience proves is concurrent with our first class service levels.
Furthermore your suite will easily exceed your expectations for not only will you enjoy the most discerning décor, so too the ship’s dimensions afford the ultimate in space and comfort - a minimum 17 square metres (183 square feet), with upgrades available to ‘Superior’ and ‘Deluxe’ accommodation.