@RudiRatlos Thank you, your excellent memory is much appreciated! I did a forum search before asking but somehow that was not in the results last week - or maybe I wasn't paying enough attention and missed it.
We will most likely go with MSC shuttle from the train station (provided we can find it then). From reviews and videos, it doesn't appear to be worth it to get a taxi for a Kiel city tour as there is really not much to see.
@ejtpa Since you spent a night in Kiel, did you do any shopping? I'm interested in grabbing a few cans of Kiel sprats while there for edible souvenirs for friends, if you noticed any nice food stores or even a supermarket nearby, I would appreciate the intel.