Lighted Santa Cruises on Geneva Lake are like a watery Polar Express

Bill Gage is a a big fan of the winter holidays.

Gage, head of the Lake Geneva Cruise Line, also has eight tour boats in his marina — all of which once sat out the winter in Williams Bay. 

But for the past several years, two of Gage's boats — the Grand Belle and the Lady of the Lake — have been spending part of November and most of December decked out in holiday lights for festive Santa Cruises.

Others have called it a “watery Polar Express” that gives children and adults a way to get out on the lake and see Santa. The excursions also include admission to a boat barn where Walworth County charities dress up trees and raise money via a raffle.

Gage said the seed of the Santa Cruises idea was planted at an antique boat show five years ago when he met another tour boat operator who offers Christmastime outings on Lake Couer d’Alene in Idaho. 

“I thought, what the heck, they are only 50 miles from Canada,” he said. “So I went out there to see what they were doing. They go out of their small harbor on boats that are decorated, and they cross the lake to see Santa and come back. I thought we could certainly do that. Besides, it brings visitors to their community in winter, and I thought that would benefit Williams Bay, where we are located.”

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He also stopped in Spokane, Washington, on the way back to Wisconsin and witnessed a holiday fundraiser that lasted for several weeks at one of the city’s top hotels. 

“I took both ideas and decided to mix them together,” he said, noting the money raised goes to local charities including the area food bank, a Boys & Girls Club and the Agape House for abused young women. 

The cruise line operates out of Lake Geneva's Riviera Marine during warm weather, but it's closed in winter, so the Santa Cruises launch from the “winter harbor” in Williams Bay. There, Gage's company also runs the Pier 290 Restaurant and Gage Marine. 

“The east end of the lake, where the Riviera is located, starts freezing over sometime in December, and our boats aren’t set up to handle ice,” he said. “But that doesn’t usually happen at our end until January.”

When guests arrive for their holiday sailings in the small town of Williams Bay, which is also decorated with holiday lights, they are ushered into the boat barn, where they can warm up with hot chocolate and treats. In the barn’s Christmas Tree Hall, they’ll find Yule conifers representing 10 charities. Each is decorated in a different theme and has presents that passengers can win if they buy raffle tickets.  

In the past gifts have included tickets to Milwaukee Bucks basketball games, lawn care services and even trips to Orlando, Gage said. Winners are announced on the 12th day of Christmas, which is Jan. 5 this season. 

To board the brightly lit Santa Cruise boats, passengers go through what Gage calls the “polar vortex machine,” which produces a tunnel of fog to make them feel as if they are heading to a snowy landscape. Before they leave, the conductor gets all the children’s names, along with the correct pronunciations.

Then they cast off for a tour that covers about a quarter of the lake to see decorated homes, including a French chateaux on the Schwinn Estate. Lighting displays include a Santa driving a jet ski over a house and Marty the Moose doing a half pike dive into the lake.

During the trip, Gage said, the boat conductor weaves a story about Santa and his helpers and how he uses Geneva Lake as his summer residences and a place to test all the toys he’s building. 

But the highlight is when the tour boat passes Santa’s decked-out boathouse hideaway and the white-bearded man emerges to wave at the passengers and call out each of the children’s names. He asks if they’ve been good boys and girls, Gage said. 

“The kids are usually stunned that Santa knows who they are,” Gage said. “On the way back to the pier, they see a few more displays and sing some carols. At the dock, they see the Christmas trees again in the boat barn, perhaps have a meal at Pier 290 or explore the shops in Williams Bay. It’s a fun small-town experience for the whole family.”

When the Santa Cruises are over in January, Gage said, the Grand Belle and Lady of the Lake wait out the winter with other tour boats in a fenced-in area in the Pier 290 harbor. Circulators keep water moving to prevent ice damage to the ship hulls.

More information: Santa Cruises run from Nov. 23 to Dec. 31, except for Dec. 24 and 25. The 40-minute tours depart daily on the hour beginning at 4:30 p.m. The 8:30 p.m. weekend tours, known as the Naughty or Nice cruises, are for adults only. 

Weekend ticket prices are $28 for adults, $26 for seniors (65+ years), $18 for children (4-17 years) and free for kids 3 and under. Monday through Thursday tickets are discounted. Tickets are available online at santacruiselakegeneva.com.

For ideas on other things to see and do in Lake Geneva, see visitlakegeneva.com.

Getting there: Pier 290 is at 1 Liechty Drive, Williams Bay, about 50 miles southwest of Milwaukee via I-43 and Highway 67.