COEUR d'ALENE - In the matter of which crowd-pleaser drew the most ooohs and ahhhs Thursday night on the Journey to the North Pole, it was definitely a toss-up between 1.5 million lights and the jolly man in the red suit.

No, wait; it had to be the 101-foot dancing tree. Well, maybe it was the fire-spitting dragon. But what about Santa's 40-foot-tall workshop?

With more than 255 displays, The Coeur d'Alene Resort Holiday Light Show as seen from the magical waters of Lake Coeur d'Alene was an evening of winners, wonders, anticipation and awe.

The 2-mile journey from the glittering Resort to the North Pole took 20 minutes, and as the boat approached the dock at Santa's workshop - having craftily slipped past the clutches of the infamous Grinch - the tension intensified: Santa was preparing to read the Nice List.

After hearing Santa call out their names, there was a huge sigh of relief from all the little girls and boys who had tried hard all year long to be so very good. And then a giant surge of Christmas spirit from everyone on the boat generated enough power to turn on three-quarters of a million lights, illuminating every possible toy you could have ever expected to see in Santa's workshop.

For those unwilling to brave the outside decks, there were hot and cold beverages and enough sweet treats to satisfy the naughtiest children.

Six-year-old Charlie Walden said he loved the hot chocolate and gingerbread man the best, while his 5-year-old brother, Luke, was more of a traditionalist and cast his vote for Santa.

For big sister, Lauren - age 14 - this was her fifth time on a holiday cruise.

"It's still fun," she said. "Even just looking at the lights is terrific. It's the spirit of the thing I adore."

Captain Jeff has been doing the Santa cruises for six years. "I just love it," he said. "There are so many different people from all over the world. Everyone boards the boat just wanting to be happy. We don't get any grumpy people."

He then explained what happens aboard ship in the event it's discovered that Santa's elves mistakenly omitted a child's name from Santa's Nice List.

"If we hear about that happening, we call the child up here to the wheelhouse and put them on the radio directly with Santa, who explains about how elves make mistakes and then after that he and the child might have a five- or six-minute conversation."

This year's newest display - the fire-breathing dragon in The Resort marina - was a five-star success.

Both 9-year-old London Regalado and her 14-year-old sister, Isabella, simultaneously paid the display the ultimate compliment: "It's way cool."

For the curious adult interested in impressive statistics, the light show uses 5 miles of electrical lighting and costs $5,000 just to keep the lights on from Thanksgiving through New Year's.

"I am a totally Christmas-crazy person," said actress Ellen Travolta. "My kids always used to say, 'Don't tell Mom there's no Santa,' so for me, they always pretended there was."

For this year's holiday musical at The Resort, Travolta will be presenting "A Christmas Cabaret."

"I think that The Coeur d'Alene Resort is the most romantic and festive place in the world," she said.