For the thousands of people who travel to southeast Wisconsin each year, a visit to the Lake Geneva area is not complete without a spin on its clear blue waters with Lake Geneva Cruise Line.
The company offers eight distinctly different vessels that can host anywhere from 14 to 225 people for a dinner, reception or even a meeting.
“Groups often stay at area resorts and they use us as their off-site event,” says Clare Mulcahy, charter sales manager for Lake Geneva Cruise Line. “If you come to Lake Geneva, you really have to get out on the water to see the scenery.”
The company’s two largest boats are the Lady of the Lake and the Grand Belle of Geneva, both white paddle wheelers modeled after old steamers.
“They are all furnished in mahogany and brass, very high-end,” Mulcahy says. “All boats are completely weather-friendly—many with air-conditioning and heat.”
The Walworth, also known as the U.S. Mailboat, is a favorite because from April through November, groups of up to 120 people can hop aboard and watch boat workers deliver mail to lakeside estates in a most unusual way.
Just as the boat is about to pass an estate’s dock, a worker jumps off the vessel onto the dock, runs down to its end, drops mail in its mailboxes and jumps back into the boat, all while the boat is moving. The entertaining delivery method has even been featured on television, Mulcahy says.
The Duchess, a two-story paddle wheeler, is another popular choice for groups of up to 80 people.
Steam Yacht Louise, built in 1902, is a steam engine still run by an engineer on its lower deck. Fifty people can fit comfortably on the vessel for a strolling cocktail reception and around 14 people can comfortably fit for a seated dinner.
The Lorelei, another ship in the company’s fleet, is “the pedigree of the wooden boat,” Mulcahy says.
Fitting up to 14 people, the boat is made of “rare teak and built in Holland,” she says. “It is a beautiful little lake yacht.”
The Yacht Polaris, built in 1898 for one of the lake’s millionaires, has since been converted into a vessel made for the benefit of the public.
Groups of up to 40 people can enjoy its sprawling deck while watching the sunset on the water.
Rounding out the company’s fleet is the Geneva, a 50-foot boat that was once a tender for the USS Saratoga. Groups of up to 50 can enjoy a cruise aboard the Geneva.
“The only way to see Lake Geneva is via the water,” Mulcahy says. “With us, you can do it in style. The boats have all of the comforts and conveniences of today, but still have the Old World charm of when this lake was in its heyday back in the ’20s."
For More Info
Lake Geneva Cruise Line 262.248.6202
www.cruiselakegeneva.com
