Santa Cruise offered on Geneva Lake | Events | kenoshanews.com

Usually by December, the only objects floating on Geneva Lake are runaway ice shanties, but the Lake Geneva Cruise Line has extended the boating season with its Santa Cruise.

Passengers take 40-minute narrated boat rides, motoring past lighted displays on the shore as they travel to the “North Pole.”

Cruises depart from Gage Marina — the winter home of the Geneva Lake Cruise Line’s fleet — in Williams Bay.

As passengers wait to board, they can snap photos with a giant snowman, purchase beverages (of the child and adult variety) from a bar and buy raffle tickets to win prize packages from the Santa Cause Festival of Trees. The raffles benefit area charities.

On the cruise

Judging by the huge crowd for our 5:50 p.m. Saturday cruise, I’d say this holiday boat tour has proved to be wildly popular.

After lining up, passengers walk through the “Polar Vortex” to get to the boat — either the Lady of the Lake or the Grand Belle. As the cruise host explains, “You can’t see Santa’s secret hideaway unless you cross the Polar Vortex.”

In Santa Cruise lore, the North Pole’s most famous resident actually lives in Lake Geneva, where he’s been seen on local ski hills and, probably, shopping in town.

Along the way to Santa’s house, cruisers look out the windows to see Dominick the Italian donkey — and sing along to the children’s song — and none other than Snidely Whiplash and Dudley Do-Right. Other lighted scenes include Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, a Nativity scene, a gingerbread house and Frosty the Snowman.

As the boat gets in front of Santa’s lake house, the Big Guy himself steps outside to wave at the passengers. He’ll also recite the names of the children on the cruise boat — if they’ve been good and the adults in their party have tipped him off that you’re on board. (I heard Santa say “Elizabeth” during our cruise, which I’m pretty sure was for me.)

On the return trip to the marina, the passengers sing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “The 12 Days of Christmas.” I advise everyone to join in, to stay on that Nice List.

As passengers exit, they walk through the Pier 290 Restaurant, which just happens to be open for post-cruise dining. There’s also a gift shop because you always exit through a gift shop, right?