Art Auctions at sea

[moldal13]

Can anyone tell me the "real deal" about these at sea art auctions? Is the art real? Are the pieces usually overpriced? We have been on 6 cruises before, and have never really understood if these art auctions are a scam. Thanks for any advice.

 

MolDal13:D

[Yukon]

It looked like a scam to me, so I did a lot of research about them when I got home. One company does them for most of the cruise lines, and almost all reports about them are positive. The auctioneer came across like a used-car salesman, though, so I'll keep buying from galleries I trust.

 

Murray

[tetleytea]

Well I know the "free artwork" you get just for attending the auction is bogus. You get an 8.5x11 poster. Big deal.

[quickfingers]

My wife and I bought two pieces on our last cruise. We paid for one piece $1700. When I got home I check to see how much it was worth. It was worth $3500. The other piece was not a lot of money and I did not do any research on it.

 

I too thought that this was a scam, used car salesman. From my experience, we bought what we liked and wanted to look at for a long time. For us, we did get a deal. We did win a piece in a raffle during the auction. This piece cost us only the shipping charges to get it home, about $90, if I remember correctly. It was the perfect piece for a blank wall in our bathroom.

 

I will be going to the art auction on our Celebrity cruise in August. We are running out of wall space. This time we may be looking for a sculpture.

 

I always say do what feels right in you gut. If it does not feel right, don't buy it.

[Poodlesnoot]

Having just got off a cruise in which the Princess art auction was starting the bidding on a piece at $64,500 and claiming it's value to be a minimum of $103,000...it was hard to believe.

[moldal13]

Wow, very interesting information. I'll be curious to see what they have on the Carnival Spirit. We'll be sailing on July 20th southbound Alaska. Thanks for the helpful feedback .

[GloriaF]

Just my advice, which isn't worth much, but drop in to the art auction for a peek and keep on walking. :)

 

My husband avoids them like the plague.

[Deb in Cali]

I think that they are fun to watch. I have never purchased anything and I doubt that I ever will.

 

It is facinating to see who bids and buys what. Some of the stuff they sell is a bit much for me. But you know what they say "One man's trash is another man's treasure".

 

Deb

[vivian02]

I found the art actions to be fun and did enjoy the free champane that was served. I didn't buy anything but once we got home I did my homework.You might check out Ebay and just see what these pieces are going for. I did see some art work that I liked only to find that the pieces are now being sold at Wal-Mart? Gee, I wonder where you can get the best Price? It was fun.