The Michael Jackson Suite At Disney (Royal Plaza Hotel) - The Royal Plaza Hotel at Lake Buena Vista Florida at one time had a special Michael Jackson Suite as this was his home-away-from-home during the 1980s. However, the suite is no longer there but it still qualifies as a place to visit for the true Michael Jackson fan. Working at Disney during that time was almost like being a member of Jacksons extended family. He was like the rich, eccentric uncle who used to pull into town at the most unexpected moments. I was one of those Disney employees then. In that job, and later as a journalist, I was lucky enough to ever-so-briefly encounter one of the planets iconic stars at two distinctive points in his arc. When I was piloting a boat between Disney hotels, Jackson sightings sparked a minor commotion. Jackson would be spotted on Bay Lake in a float boat with TV actor Emmanuel Lewis. Or hed be seen in one of those secret underground tunnels, checking out the intricacies of the Disney magic. The ultimate sign of his devotion was the famous Michael Jackson suite in the Royal Plaza hotel at Lake Buena Vista. My boat-pilot pals and I used to hoist beers in the Giraffe Lounge downstairs. He never joined us. Four years ago, I revisited memories of the Jackson suite in writing a story about Orlandos bygone musical landmarks. Phil Wright, general manager of the Royal Plaza during the Jackson era, recalled the four-room suite in detail: The twinkling lights in the ceiling. The trophy case insured for $1 million. The Marilyn Monroe collectibles and (then) state-of-the-art laser-disc player equipped with lights that sparkled to the beat. Wright remembered that Jacksons pet chimp, Bubbles, liked to flush the toilet. He liked to hear it gurgle. He recalled the singer fondly, too. When I knew him at the hotel, he was kind, generous and unbelievably shy, Wright said. We wanted to offer a place where he could feel at home. My own Jackson memories could be characterized in one word: silence. Picking up tickets for a cast holiday party once, I happened upon Jackson strolling Disneys cast-services building. In a lime-green sweater and fedora, he was wordlessly looking at scale models of the park attractions as a small crowd of employees gathered silently around him. It went on for about 20 minutes, no one saying anything, until Jackson walked back to his white limo, turned and silently waved. By Jim Abbott, Sentinel Music Critic New paper article about the suite news.google/newspapers?id=MVBPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=yQIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2962%2C5740158
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 20:30:00 +0000
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