Michael Jackson and Steve Wynn Secretly Rode the TI Pirate Ship Down Vegas Strip

• Steve Wynn claims he and Michael Jackson secretly rode the Treasure Island pirate ship down the Strip at 3 a.m. in 1993
• Police escorted the flatbed‑mounted ship from a warehouse past Caesars and the Mirage volcano
• Jackson refused to get off, wanting to stay aboard even as cranes prepared to lift it

By far the single strangest sight in the history of Las Vegas was witnessed only by a few construction workers, police officers and Steve Wynn, who revealed the story of how he and the late Michael Jackson rode the Treasure Island pirate ship down Las Vegas Boulevard in 1993.

The ship belonging to the pirates (the other one was British) was assembled by a design studio in a rented warehouse three miles west of the Strip, and needed transportation to its permanent home.

“Michael Jackson happened to be in the hotel and I told him that, right after the New Year’s, on a Monday night there was no one was around, we were going to move it on a big truck and close the Strip,” Wynn recalled on social media Thursday.

The hotel in question was The Mirage, where Jackson stayed frequently in the villas, one of which brother Jermaine Jackson claims he trashed in November 2003, after hearing that Neverland had been raided.

Since last year, Wynn has taken to recounting memorable stories from his illustrious career on his Instagram account. This was by far the strangest.

Ship Happens

After relaying that tidbit to Jackson, Wynn remembers being asked, “Oh Steve, can I go too?” (The disgraced Las Vegas visionary’s impersonation of Michael Jackson’s voice defies words. You’ll need to hear it for yourself.)

Wynn continued: “I said, ‘Well, Michael, it’s going to be 3 or 4 in the morning, it’s cold in January, but if you’re here…’”

Jackson made sure he was. So Wynn picked up the King of Pop, who wore a parka, at the Mirage and they drove to the warehouse. They climbed up onto the truck and into the ship’s bridge and received a police escort east on Flamingo Road.

The pirate ship turned left onto the Strip by Caesars Palace. Once it passed the volcano at Mirage, Wynn recalls turning to his friend and asking, “Can you believe we’re doing this?”

Pier Pressure

Upon their arrival at Treasure Island, a whole new memorable experience unfolded as Jackson refused to disembark. Riding in the ship wasn’t enough for him. He wanted to fly in it as cranes lifted it into place.

Wynn recalls being told by a construction supervisor: “Mr. Wynn, we can’t lift this … with Mr. Jackson onboard.” So Wynn yelled up at Jackson.

“Oh Steve, I’ll be fine,” he replied.

After several tense minutes, Wynn was able to talk the most famous man in the world off of his fake pirate ship.

But the real mystery is how none of the construction workers or police officers, who Wynn recalled were cracking up at the preposterousness of the situation, ever leaked the story.

They probably figured no one would believe them.