Princess fine art no more !

[caribill]

If I were a betting man, (And I am!) I would say this situation has something to do with Holland America management taking over Princess. (PW is on HAL)

 

Or has something to do with RCCL dumping PW as their art auction company.

 

It happened too soon after the CCL Corp. realignment of management for this to be done by the new management structure.

[UT-Volsfan]

We were on the Emerald Princess Nov. 29 - Dec. 9 sailing. Fortunately the Global Fine Arts program was still operating the art auctions on that cruise. This was the last sailing before their inventory left the cruise ship and Park West brought theirs on board.

 

We have researched several artists prior to going on cruises so that we felt very comfortable with the pricing Princess was offering. On this cruise we purchased one original by Martiros because we assumed PW would not offer that quality at their auctions.

 

We were told on that cruise that the art directors had been offered positions with PW, but they would be working on shore instead of on ships. We didn't find out if this was temporary while they learned the PW system of business or full-time. The other support staff (at least on our cruise) was talking about moving into other roles within Princess (such as the Purser's desk) so they wouldn't lose their company service (if they wanted to work the art program with PW they would have to leave Princess and start over with PW).

 

We put several comments in our after cruise survey about our dislike of the transition to PW. We have been cruisers that have enjoyed the Princess art auctions over the years, including the interactions we have had with some of their art directors.

 

We were afraid the transition to PW would go just like AZJerry described in his review. We are going to be sailing in March, and that may be one of the first times we avoid the auctions if they don't show some serious improvement. If PW continues to offer limited editions as originals, then they will quickly learn that the previous Princess customers are gone.

[Steviewonder1]

All of the art auctions should be taken off all ships. Takes up to much room and most of it is ugly anyway.

 

Mega-Dittos on this (Sorry Rush). Long time overdue.

[san diego sue]

And the worse thing about PW on the Sapphire. There were six employees jumping on you. Walk through the Art gallery and they came out of no where. The Auctionaire was so full of himself, couldn't stand him.

[Shoalwater]

Our first PW auction (on the Sapphire) with Ricardo, where to begin...

 

- The preview event and both auctions started 30 minutes or more after the advertised starting times.

 

- Ricardo spoke very fast and was, at times, almost unintelligible.

 

- Ricardo really pushed making an appointment in the gallery. I got the feeling that a lot of buying was meant to take place behind the scenes.

 

- I wasn't impressed with his art knowledge. For every one of the few artists available, he had one or two facts that he would repeat... every... time... an... artist... was... displayed.

 

- As others have mentioned, none of the previous PFA artwork was available. When asked, Ricardo said it would be back after inventory. I wonder.

 

- Auctions started with Ricardo speaking the estimated retail and minimum auction prices. Having attended the preview event we also knew there was an unspoken lower than minimum price that you had to ask for. So the minumum wasn't really the minimum. Nobody we heard tried that.

 

- The second auction was advertised as focusing on Kinkade, said so right on the flyer. Yet not one Kinkade was upstairs nor was his name mentioned. When an audience member asked about Kinkades, holding up the flyer, Ricardo told her he was discussed yesterday. But, he would be willing to to make an appointment in the gallery. We both felt sorry for the woman as she was berated publicly.

 

- The second event was also advertised as an under $700 auction. The first 10 or so items retailed around $1000 with minimums of around $800. How is that under $700???

 

- Fairly often there were "mystery" auctions, the only mystery being that the artist wasn't revealed until just before the bidding started. These usually included two or three pieces.

 

- Sometimes Ricardo would start with one piece, mystery or not, give us the retail and minimum prices, and then add one or two more pieces while keeping the original retail and minimum prices, sometimes after people had started bidding. It felt like the late night infomercials where "But wait, if you buy now we'll throw in another Sham-wow absolutely free"

 

- Other auctions would start at $1, the price would increase as people dropped their bid cards, and then stop at some point. Everyone left at the point would get a set at that price. One I remember was an allegedly $800 set that went for $80.

 

- Other auctions weren't auctions at all. After displaying and pricing the pieces, they were just moved to the side if anyone was interested in buying them later.

 

- I don't believe there was an actual original, one of a kind piece at all. Everything was part of an edition.

 

- Several pieces were put on the easels upside down, probably because they had been framed upside down.

 

- The Explorer's lounge was packed for the first auction. About half full for the second. Different than previous cruises.

 

As others have mentioned, we also have bought many pieces that we enjoy over the years. We have also quite enjoyed attending the auctions themselves. Not anymore. We're done.

 

Mega dittos on being done with the art auction on Princess now that this group has taken over. They followed the same playbook, rapid words, speed, bait and switch . On one "mystery' auction piece the strategy was to have everyone get their bid cards up first and then they could drop out as the price climbed. It was peppered with meaningless comments like "This artist is known internationally". Hell, with Facebook and Twitter everyone in the world is known internationally. Then the best followed "Some of this artists work, not the one here, have sold for thousands of dollars. Keep those card up!". The other circulating shills ran through the audience shouting "CARDS UP, PUT THOSE CARDS UP!". I wanted to vomit.

 

On PFA when you won a drawing of a print at least it was signed. These rubes offer you a laser printed "phograph" as a free pierce of fine art. We have several of the signed PFA prints hanging but I wouldn't take up the luggage space to carry bacx what is offered now.

 

As I commented somewhere else, we did buy an early Rembrandt etching on an earlier cruise, probably done in the 1700's. What PW is offering now are millenium editions made in the 2000's from steel copies of a few of the original Rembrandt plates. I swear they look like they were done with a well worn blunt #2 graphite pencil. Rembrant would retch if he saw what they did to his works.

 

There were several other prints of works that look like the artists PFA used to have on board, but here again they lack the detail and the technique of artists like Patricia, Duave, etc. To be fair there was one Picasso from the Vollard Suite on board that went in the $22,000 range, but as with many other purchase it was a sale and not sold at an auction.

 

We have purchase sufficient art over time to be invited in the past to the art connoisseur cruise. Sadly, we are very sorry to see the PFA team leave and these people replace them. Now at least I have more time available on sea days for other more enjoyable activities.

 

Bad and disappointing move Princess/ Carnival Corp. Just another nail of quality removed from the frame of a good cruise line.

[donaldsc]

I'm currently on the Emerald and found out that Princess fine art is being dissolved and they are going back to Park West:confused::eek:

 

The poor guy is going back to Canada as he refuses to work for them..he said no way is he having that co on his resume... And I can't believe with all the lawsuits they would contract with them !!!

 

If I don't reply its because I burn through the 250 mins and the email here is way slow as y'all know

 

CC

 

Princess Fine Art is a contradiction in terms. Unfortunately, so is Park West Fine Art but even worse.

 

DON

[Shoalwater]

Princess Fine Art is a contradiction in terms. Unfortunately, so is Park West Fine Art but even worse.

 

DON

 

Not sure what point you are making :confused:.

[Loonbeam]

I made a few more calls. While I couldn't get an official even semi off the record answer, reading between the lines, the simple answer is PFA wasn't making a lot of money considering the overhead, so CCL went with the guaranteed revenue PW will provide. PW seems to be paying a fixed lease on the space (not sure about any revenue percentage) and that amount will be significantly higher than PFA was making per square foot when all is said and done.

 

We've said it before, follow the money.

[pablo222]

Then the best followed "Some of this artists work, not the one here, have sold for thousands of dollars. Keep those card up!". The other circulating shills ran through the audience shouting "CARDS UP, PUT THOSE CARDS UP!". I wanted to vomit.

 

At how stupid the people were who were holding up their cards?

 

Nothing is compelling them to buy. If they want to buy, it is

their money.

 

There are lots of things that I see offered for sale that I think are

foolish or a poor value. Yet people buy them.

[Shoalwater]

I made a few more calls. While I couldn't get an official even semi off the record answer, reading between the lines, the simple answer is PFA wasn't making a lot of money considering the overhead, so CCL went with the guaranteed revenue PW will provide. PW seems to be paying a fixed lease on the space (not sure about any revenue percentage) and that amount will be significantly higher than PFA was making per square foot when all is said and done.

 

We've said it before, follow the money.

 

They took over the larger stage Vista lounge on the Star Princess voyage for their act, forcing some on-board activities like the dance lessons into Explorers which was woefully overcrowded. As much a fan I was of the PFA on-board, sadly I must now agree with others to remove this detritus from the ship.

[Loonbeam]

I suspect the new art host browbeat the CD into it. As far as I can tell , they are only contracted to pay for the use of space designated for art, plus some venue usage for the auction. I'm not sure what the CD is committed to provide.

 

They took over the larger stage Vista lounge on the Star Princess voyage for their act, forcing some on-board activities like the dance lessons into Explorers which was woefully overcrowded. As much a fan I was of the PFA on-board, sadly I must now agree with others to remove this detritus from the ship.

[marco]

WAIT!!!!! Isn't "fine art" and Park West and oxymoron?

[cruzin'd]

Just got off the Emerald Princess and experienced the worst art auctions with PW. When asked they said they would get artists that were previously showcased with Global/Princess but it's doubtful those artists would sign contracts with PW. Would look forward to the auctions in the past and would purchase a piece or two that caught my fancy. (Yes, even dancing Olives and flying Aces....thanks Michael Godard), but the auctions on board left a lot to be desired. Selection was poor, prices high, 3 bid was gone, staff overbearing. Went to first auction, tried a second one and walked out and never returned. A fun part of cruising is gone especially when on a cruise when there are several days at sea. It was a fun diversion. I will be dodging future art auctions on Princess.

[Shoalwater]

Just got off the Emerald Princess and experienced the worst art auctions with PW. When asked they said they would get artists that were previously showcased with Global/Princess but it's doubtful those artists would sign contracts with PW. Would look forward to the auctions in the past and would purchase a piece or two that caught my fancy. (Yes' date=' even dancing Olives and flying Aces....thanks Michael Godard), but the auctions on board left a lot to be desired. Selection was poor, prices high, 3 bid was gone, staff overbearing. Went to first auction, tried a second one and walked out and never returned. A fun part of cruising is gone especially when on a cruise when there are several days at sea. It was a fun diversion. I will be dodging future art auctions on Princess.[/quote']

 

Just off the Ruby Princess 5-day voyage and went to the art sale to see if it was any different than what occurred aboard the Star Princess over Christmas. Bill Murray experienced more variety in Groundhog Day. The works were the same (editions) and the performance followed the same script. We used to enjoy these auctions and have made several fine purchases of original works over the years. As my cousin Vinnie would say "Fogetta bout it". Sadly, we are finished with this group and an enjoyable part of our cruising is gone.

[Dreamer333]

I just like the free champaign.

[caribill]

We used to enjoy these auctions and have made several fine purchases of original works over the years. As my cousin Vinnie would say "Fogetta bout it". Sadly, we are finished with this group and an enjoyable part of our cruising is gone.

 

I assume you are making appropriate comments on the post-cruise survey from Princess.

[sundance1406]

We were on the January Sapphire cruise that AZJerry was on and went to the auctions. Jerry's assessment is EXACTLY the same as ours. As many others on this thread, I am saddened by this change and believe that it was not the right choice. We have a cruise in May (on the Dawn) and will see if any of the PFA art is back, but doubt that we will enjoy the auctions even if it is.

[nnrd79a]

If anyone is interested......

 

Wife and I just boarded the Ruby. I wondered down to the art gallery. Exactly as everyone has said, the collection onboard consists of a few Max's, and a lot of items that look like copies of other people's works.

 

A rep popped over and asked if he could help me. I played dumb and told him I would like to see anything they had by "Daniel Wall". His response was, "We do not have any of the old artists on board. They were all unloaded for refraining". I said thanks and left.

 

The cards and logos still show PFA. Sad, very sad.

 

Absolutely no mention of them now being Park West.

[nnrd79a]

I have had a little time to reflect and would like to give a review of my first Park West auction aboard a Princess Ship.

I have tried to be neutral, but my opinion is negative toward PW. I have purchased eight originals and two prints from the “real” PFA and it is very hard for me to accept the changes made to the program by Park West.

 

To be fair, people who never experienced the Old PFA way of doing things, will probably assume the Park West style is just how the auctions work.

The Old PFA selection normally consisted of a few selections from a lot of different artists, while the PW selections seemed to be a lot of works from a hand full of artists.

I counted four PW art employees (two male, two female) plus two dancers who helped on auction day.

The employees (Strongly) encouraged passengers to “Pre-bid” for added perks. I don’t know what the extras were, as I was so turned off by the offer to pre-bid, I just walked away without saying anything.

 

First Sea Day Auction:

 

The place was packed, very few seats available.

Park West had a table setup outside of Explores lounge, where passengers would sign-up and receive a bid number and a chance to win a free prize.

I did not sign up for a number, thus I do not know what info was requested, I assume cabin numbers.. etc… (I’ll find out in March when I board the Caribbean Princess)

While receiving a bid number you could also guess at the value of a Max Original. Your guess went into a drawing to win some type of art prize.

 

Before the auction started an employee spelled out the terms and conditions plus a host of “auction terms” that they would be using.

Things like “CP” = Complete Package (Frame + art at one price). There were a lot of two letter abbreviations that distinguished things like:

Shipped in frame

Shipped in a tube

Carry off only.. etc..

The PW employees really stressed that you could get up to eight pieces of art shipped in one tube and that all sales were final, no exceptions.

 

After all the P’s and Q’s were hashed out, the two female employees started passing out credit application forms to everyone in the room.

The auctioneer, told the room, that the first person who completed the credit application and was the first to turned it in, would receive a prize pack.

Man, that set off a frenzy of folks trying to win the prize. (FYI It was a small print on cardboard that was stuffed in a manila office envelope)

 

The two male employees started the auction, while the two female employees ran around the room, and I do mean ran around the room.

They darted between rows, ran around the perimeter, and weaved between furniture and people. Occasionally they would pick up a piece of art and move it from one place in the room to a different place. It seemed random, but I’m sure there was some type of strategy involved.

 

As the auction started, I felt sort of like I was at one of those time share sales pitches. You know the “Last Chance” , “Golden opportunity”, “Get em’ while they last”… on and on.. and on…

 

The first item was a small print that appeared to be printed on a very heavy paper.

The print looked almost exactly like the works from Lena Sotskova, but it wasn’t.

The auctioneer never stated print type. (He only would make mentions of Originals. I could rarely determine if the offerings were prints, giclees, embellished.. etc)

What he did say was that the print value was over $1,200.00 and that this was a “CP” auction starting at $100.00 no reserve. The ladies continued to run around the room and the auctioneer started.

He was purposefully using porky-pig type of calling style… “be-de-be-de…. 100.. be-de-be-de…. 100.. Can I get 100”… There were no bid numbers raised…. Then he said, for this one and only time, he would throw in free shipping…… then continued the “be-de-be-de” stuff again. One of the girls stopped running around and started working the audience. She went over to an older gentleman, I would say he was in his late 70’s. She kept talking to him, then he raised his bid number….. This is where the oddness started. After he bid $100, she crouched down next to him… The Auctioneer kept on with the “be-de-be-de” stuff and was asking for $200.00… “be-de-be-de Once in a lifetime…be-de-be-de.. Full package with free shipping.. be-de-be-de” The other girl was still running around randomly….. From the other side of the room another bid number went up….. The male PW employee ran over to the 2nd bidder…. Now he started yelling at the auctioneer, “Stop it now… I’ve got the high bid”.. Auctioneer “be-de-be-de.. I’ve got 200, do I hear three” 2nd Male employee ”Close it up at 2.. hurry, close it up…” The 2nd female kept darting around the room with different art pieces. The first female kept talking to the first bidder…. Then boom she yells out “I’ve got $300!... I’ve got $300!... Stop the bidding I’ve got the winner”… Auctioneer… “be-de-be-de.. I’ve got 3… I’ve got 3… Complete package.. Golden opportunity… No down side at this price.. be-de-be-de..” This ensued between the male employee and the female employee both yelling at one another and at the auctioneer that they had the high bidder and that they were not going to lose. The female’s bidder won the first lot at $500.

 

It was manic!

 

It all happened so fast. At this point all three of the employees begin to run around the room again.

 

The auctioneer plopped up two new pieces for the price of one starting at some “low low once in a lifetime prince”, and the circus begin again.

 

This ensued for around an hour….. There were variations, sometimes the art was “mystery” thus turned around backwards. Sometimes three for the price of one, sometimes you had to raise your bid card so you would have the opportunity to bid on yet another “once in a lifetime offer”.. lots of randomness.. etc…

 

Then the first “Original” was placed on the easel.

(I’m sorry, but I don’t remember the artist name, but I’ll try to find out.)

The auctioneer compared this work to that of Dali.

It was a large Lenticular style printing of some circles of different colors.

(Lenticular prints are like those things in Cracker Jacks where the little guy moves as you shift the image from side to side… Just google “Lenticular printing”)

 

They were asking something like $1,500 for this piece… There were no takers.

 

Next, and this one really concerned me for Princess’ sake… (Princess should not have let Park West use the Princess Fine Arts name)… Next …. Came an embellished Peter Max print.

This is where the whole process got sketchy…. The Auctioneer said that up for auction was a “Genuine one of a kind hand embellished Peter Max print” he said that they could get as many of these hand embellished prints as the audience needed. He said “Imaging telling your friends that you have a Peter Max Painting that was hand painted just for you!” “Your own one of a kind painting” He said that they had the power to just call Max up and order as many as were needed. Place a bid and everyone in the room could each have a “unique one of a kind Max”.

 

I should not have to tell you, this was very scary. This is the type of thing that can cause lawsuits. There were no takers… So I guess it was not a problem in the end.

 

A few more prints were brought up and the same style and rhythm followed, the auctioneer be-de-be-de stuff, three people running around etc……

Finally the auction started to spool down.

 

At this point at least 2/3rds of the audience had left. The three employees continued running around the room, they had to be exhausted, they never stopped running!

 

I felt sorry so sorry for some of the bidders as they truly seemed confused, and bewildered.

Some of the bidders seemed very happy and excited with their purchases.

 

Best I could tell, every bidder had a Blue or Gold Cruise card, so I suspect that none of the winners had the chance to experience what an art auction on a Princess ship was vs. what it has become……

 

The 2nd sea day auction followed the exact same pattern. The room was only about 1/3 full at the start and perhaps 20 people (Counting me) at the end.

 

Well that’s my take, I have no intentions of ever purchasing anything from Park West.

Thanks to sacking of PFA and Princess switching over to Park West, my end of Cruise statement was less than $200.00. Wow, first time that has happened in years and I still had a great time!

 

Maybe this will help some folks, maybe it will not help at all.

Whatever you choose do on your cruise, remember to enjoy the ride!

Edited February 3, 2014 by nnrd79a

[Loonbeam]

Having dabbled in the auctioneer field at one point (I sold a pig!), a lot of the techniques you mentioned were ones I was specifically told to avoid as a legitimate auctioneer, which scares me.

 

The running around is a combination of distraction and diversion by moving items, making it hard for people to keep track of what has been sold, who is bidding what price, etc. I've seen people bid against themselves when they lose track. Changing the bidding method is another form of this. Shady auctioneers will tell you they are doing it to keep things interested or 'fresh'.

 

Having associates in the audience 'encourage' people to bid is technically ok, if a bit questionable. But what you have to watch out for is one of the people becoming a shill bidder, saying they have a higher bid to drive the person sitting with the other associate to bid higher. This is why bid cards should always be used if you are going with this approach and I suspect they weren't when this happened.

 

Blind bidding is ok, typically used for Charity auctions though more so than retail.

 

The embellished print scares me. One of the first things you are taught is to clearly state the characteristics of the item you are selling before going into your 'patter'. Now, its possible Park West has an arrangement for Peter to do hand embellishments on his prints,which would make the description legal. But an embellished print, while technically one of a kind, and 'original' is not the same as a true original. It shows that while they are not necessarily doing anything 'wrong' they have very little respect for their customer.

 

 

 

 

 

I have had a little time to reflect and would like to give a review of my first Park West auction aboard a Princess Ship.

I have tried to be neutral, but my opinion is negative toward PW. I have purchased eight originals and two prints from the “real” PFA and it is very hard for me to accept the changes made to the program by Park West.

 

To be fair, people who never experienced the Old PFA way of doing things, will probably assume the Park West style is just how the auctions work.

The Old PFA selection normally consisted of a few selections from a lot of different artists, while the PW selections seemed to be a lot of works from a hand full of artists.

I counted four PW art employees (two male, two female) plus two dancers who helped on auction day.

The employees (Strongly) encouraged passengers to “Pre-bid” for added perks. I don’t know what the extras were, as I was so turned off by the offer to pre-bid, I just walked away without saying anything.

 

First Sea Day Auction:

 

The place was packed, very few seats available.

Park West had a table setup outside of Explores lounge, where passengers would sign-up and receive a bid number and a chance to win a free prize.

I did not sign up for a number, thus I do not know what info was requested, I assume cabin numbers.. etc… (I’ll find out in March when I board the Caribbean Princess)

While receiving a bid number you could also guess at the value of a Max Original. Your guess went into a drawing to win some type of art prize.

 

Before the auction started an employee spelled out the terms and conditions plus a host of “auction terms” that they would be using.

Things like “CP” = Complete Package (Frame + art at one price). There were a lot of two letter abbreviations that distinguished things like:

Shipped in frame

Shipped in a tube

Carry off only.. etc..

The PW employees really stressed that you could get up to eight pieces of art shipped in one tube and that all sales were final, no exceptions.

 

After all the P’s and Q’s were hashed out, the two female employees started passing out credit application forms to everyone in the room.

The auctioneer, told the room, that the first person who completed the credit application and was the first to turned it in, would receive a prize pack.

Man, that set off a frenzy of folks trying to win the prize. (FYI It was a small print on cardboard that was stuffed in a manila office envelope)

 

The two male employees started the auction, while the two female employees ran around the room, and I do mean ran around the room.

They darted between rows, ran around the perimeter, and weaved between furniture and people. Occasionally they would pick up a piece of art and move it from one place in the room to a different place. It seemed random, but I’m sure there was some type of strategy involved.

 

As the auction started, I felt sort of like I was at one of those time share sales pitches. You know the “Last Chance” , “Golden opportunity”, “Get em’ while they last”… on and on.. and on…

 

The first item was a small print that appeared to be printed on a very heavy paper.

The print looked almost exactly like the works from Lena Sotskova, but it wasn’t.

The auctioneer never stated print type. (He only would make mentions of Originals. I could rarely determine if the offerings were prints, giclees, embellished.. etc)

What he did say was that the print value was over $1,200.00 and that this was a “CP” auction starting at $100.00 no reserve. The ladies continued to run around the room and the auctioneer started.

He was purposefully using porky-pig type of calling style… “be-de-be-de…. 100.. be-de-be-de…. 100.. Can I get 100”… There were no bid numbers raised…. Then he said, for this one and only time, he would throw in free shipping…… then continued the “be-de-be-de” stuff again. One of the girls stopped running around and started working the audience. She went over to an older gentleman, I would say he was in his late 70’s. She kept talking to him, then he raised his bid number….. This is where the oddness started. After he bid $100, she crouched down next to him… The Auctioneer kept on with the “be-de-be-de” stuff and was asking for $200.00… “be-de-be-de Once in a lifetime…be-de-be-de.. Full package with free shipping.. be-de-be-de” The other girl was still running around randomly….. From the other side of the room another bid number went up….. The male PW employee ran over to the 2nd bidder…. Now he started yelling at the auctioneer, “Stop it now… I’ve got the high bid”.. Auctioneer “be-de-be-de.. I’ve got 200, do I hear three” 2nd Male employee ”Close it up at 2.. hurry, close it up…” The 2nd female kept darting around the room with different art pieces. The first female kept talking to the first bidder…. Then boom she yells out “I’ve got $300!... I’ve got $300!... Stop the bidding I’ve got the winner”… Auctioneer… “be-de-be-de.. I’ve got 3… I’ve got 3… Complete package.. Golden opportunity… No down side at this price.. be-de-be-de..” This ensued between the male employee and the female employee both yelling at one another and at the auctioneer that they had the high bidder and that they were not going to lose. The female’s bidder won the first lot at $500.

 

It was manic!

 

It all happened so fast. At this point all three of the employees begin to run around the room again.

 

The auctioneer plopped up two new pieces for the price of one starting at some “low low once in a lifetime prince”, and the circus begin again.

 

This ensued for around an hour….. There were variations, sometimes the art was “mystery” thus turned around backwards. Sometimes three for the price of one, sometimes you had to raise your bid card so you would have the opportunity to bid on yet another “once in a lifetime offer”.. lots of randomness.. etc…

 

Then the first “Original” was placed on the easel.

(I’m sorry, but I don’t remember the artist name, but I’ll try to find out.)

The auctioneer compared this work to that of Dali.

It was a large Lenticular style printing of some circles of different colors.

(Lenticular prints are like those things in Cracker Jacks where the little guy moves as you shift the image from side to side… Just google “Lenticular printing”)

 

They were asking something like $1,500 for this piece… There were no takers.

 

Next, and this one really concerned me for Princess’ sake… (Princess should not have let Park West use the Princess Fine Arts name)… Next …. Came an embellished Peter Max print.

This is where the whole process got sketchy…. The Auctioneer said that up for auction was a “Genuine one of a kind hand embellished Peter Max print” he said that they could get as many of these hand embellished prints as the audience needed. He said “Imaging telling your friends that you have a Peter Max Painting that was hand painted just for you!” “Your own one of a kind painting” He said that they had the power to just call Max up and order as many as were needed. Place a bid and everyone in the room could each have a “unique one of a kind Max”.

 

I should not have to tell you, this was very scary. This is the type of thing that can cause lawsuits. There were no takers… So I guess it was not a problem in the end.

 

A few more prints were brought up and the same style and rhythm followed, the auctioneer be-de-be-de stuff, three people running around etc……

Finally the auction started to spool down.

 

At this point at least 2/3rds of the audience had left. The three employees continued running around the room, they had to be exhausted, they never stopped running!

 

I felt sorry so sorry for some of the bidders as they truly seemed confused, and bewildered.

Some of the bidders seemed very happy and excited with their purchases.

 

Best I could tell, every bidder had a Blue or Gold Cruise card, so I suspect that none of the winners had the chance to experience what an art auction on a Princess ship was vs. what it has become……

 

The 2nd sea day auction followed the exact same pattern. The room was only about 1/3 full at the start and perhaps 20 people (Counting me) at the end.

 

Well that’s my take, I have no intentions of ever purchasing anything from Park West.

Thanks to sacking of PFA and Princess switching over to Park West, my end of Cruise statement was less than $200.00. Wow, first time that has happened in years and I still had a great time!

 

Maybe this will help some folks, maybe it will not help at all.

Whatever you choose do on your cruise, remember to enjoy the ride!

[caribill]

I have had a little time to reflect and would like to give a review of my first Park West auction aboard a Princess Ship.

 

I have not been happy that the evening entertainment by singers, comics, production shows, etc. has been reduced from 90 minutes (two different offerings at 45 minutes each) to just 30 minutes (one offering 30 minutes in length).

 

But I am happy to hear that additional comic entertainment has been added on multiple days by PW. I might even take video of the fun so I can continue to enjoy it after the cruise ends.

[MauiLvrs]

There is an up side with PW ...

The art selection was SOOOO bad that we didn't even go to the auction to have $.80/bottle cheep champagne ...

 

Freeing up that time to do other things ...

 

In Seaport Village we wandered through the Wyland gallery...

[Shoalwater]

I have had a little time to reflect and would like to give a review of my first Park West auction aboard a Princess Ship.

I have tried to be neutral, but my opinion is negative toward PW. I have purchased eight originals and two prints from the “real” PFA and it is very hard for me to accept the changes made to the program by Park West. We have done the same and were planning to buy more. Cruising just got less expensive with this change.

 

To be fair, people who never experienced the Old PFA way of doing things, will probably assume the Park West style is just how the auctions work.

The Old PFA selection normally consisted of a few selections from a lot of different artists, while the PW selections seemed to be a lot of works from a hand full of artists.

I counted four PW art employees (two male, two female) plus two dancers who helped on auction day.

The employees (Strongly) encouraged passengers to “Pre-bid” for added perks. I don’t know what the extras were, as I was so turned off by the offer to pre-bid, I just walked away without saying anything.

 

First Sea Day Auction:

 

The place was packed, very few seats available.

Park West had a table setup outside of Explores lounge, where passengers would sign-up and receive a bid number and a chance to win a free prize.

I did not sign up for a number, thus I do not know what info was requested, I assume cabin numbers.. etc… (I’ll find out in March when I board the Caribbean Princess)

While receiving a bid number you could also guess at the value of a Max Original. Your guess went into a drawing to win some type of art prize. The catch is you think you are guessing for the Max, but instead get a worthless inkjet 10 x 14 print of something (or approximating that size). At least the former Princess Fine Art prizes were signed prints and we have a few hanging in the upstairs rooms of our home. They are a nice size and we are not embarassed to have them on the wall.

 

Before the auction started an employee spelled out the terms and conditions plus a host of “auction terms” that they would be using.

Things like “CP” = Complete Package (Frame + art at one price). There were a lot of two letter abbreviations that distinguished things like:

Shipped in frame

Shipped in a tube

Carry off only.. etc..

The PW employees really stressed that you could get up to eight pieces of art shipped in one tube and that all sales were final, no exceptions. "What a bargain Helen, let's get another one."

 

After all the P’s and Q’s were hashed out, the two female employees started passing out credit application forms to everyone in the room.

The auctioneer, told the room, that the first person who completed the credit application and was the first to turned it in, would receive a prize pack.

Man, that set off a frenzy of folks trying to win the prize. (FYI It was a small print on cardboard that was stuffed in a manila office envelope) Another worthless ink jet or lazer jet print done aboard ship. They'll never run out until the glossy paper is gone.

 

The two male employees started the auction, while the two female employees ran around the room, and I do mean ran around the room.

They darted between rows, ran around the perimeter, and weaved between furniture and people. Occasionally they would pick up a piece of art and move it from one place in the room to a different place. It seemed random, but I’m sure there was some type of strategy involved.

 

As the auction started, I felt sort of like I was at one of those time share sales pitches. You know the “Last Chance” , “Golden opportunity”, “Get em’ while they last”… on and on.. and on… Overheard one of the former PFA fine arts directors still on board as part of the turn-over on a phone call to someone say something to the effect that "this is unseemly and I don't want to be a part of it.".

 

The first item was a small print that appeared to be printed on a very heavy paper. "Hey Rube, warm up the printer."

The print looked almost exactly like the works from Lena Sotskova, but it wasn’t.

The auctioneer never stated print type. (He only would make mentions of Originals. I could rarely determine if the offerings were prints, giclees, embellished.. etc) Our experience as well. Price by association. Statements like "this artist is known and collected internationally." Heck, even Wanted Posters are collected internationally from antique shops. Another one was "Works from this artist have sold for thousands of dollars." Well, yes they have , but not that mass media produced POS you are holding.

What he did say was that the print value was over $1,200.00 and that this was a “CP” auction starting at $100.00 no reserve. The ladies continued to run around the room and the auctioneer started.

He was purposefully using porky-pig type of calling style… “be-de-be-de…. 100.. be-de-be-de…. 100.. Can I get 100”… There were no bid numbers raised…. Then he said, for this one and only time, he would throw in free shipping…… then continued the “be-de-be-de” stuff again. Wow, a different mantra. Our guy kept repeating "ibida-ibida-ibida " One of the girls stopped running around and started working the audience. She went over to an older gentleman, I would say he was in his late 70’s. She kept talking to him, then he raised his bid number….. This is where the oddness started. After he bid $100, she crouched down next to him… The Auctioneer kept on with the “be-de-be-de” stuff and was asking for $200.00… “be-de-be-de Once in a lifetime…be-de-be-de.. Full package with free shipping.. be-de-be-de” The other girl was still running around randomly….. From the other side of the room another bid number went up….. The male PW employee ran over to the 2nd bidder…. Now he started yelling at the auctioneer, “Stop it now… I’ve got the high bid”.. Auctioneer “be-de-be-de.. I’ve got 200, do I hear three” 2nd Male employee ”Close it up at 2.. hurry, close it up…” The 2nd female kept darting around the room with different art pieces. The first female kept talking to the first bidder…. Then boom she yells out “I’ve got $300!... I’ve got $300!... Stop the bidding I’ve got the winner”… Auctioneer… “be-de-be-de.. I’ve got 3… I’ve got 3… Complete package.. Golden opportunity… No down side at this price.. be-de-be-de..” This ensued between the male employee and the female employee both yelling at one another and at the auctioneer that they had the high bidder and that they were not going to lose. The female’s bidder won the first lot at $500. Is this where the guy with the repeat vocabulary stops the process and says "Wait, I have 2 bidders at $700. Tell you what I'm going to do, I will throw in another look alike and drop the price not to $600, not to $500, but just $300. Now how's that for savings?":eek:

 

It was manic!

 

It all happened so fast. At this point all three of the employees begin to run around the room again. The devil in me wanted me to put my foot out.

 

The auctioneer plopped up two new pieces for the price of one starting at some “low low once in a lifetime prince”, and the circus begin again.

 

This ensued for around an hour….. There were variations, sometimes the art was “mystery” thus turned around backwards. Sometimes three for the price of one, sometimes you had to raise your bid card so you would have the opportunity to bid on yet another “once in a lifetime offer”.. lots of randomness.. etc…

 

Then the first “Original” was placed on the easel.

(I’m sorry, but I don’t remember the artist name, but I’ll try to find out.)

The auctioneer compared this work to that of Dali.

It was a large Lenticular style printing of some circles of different colors.

(Lenticular prints are like those things in Cracker Jacks where the little guy moves as you shift the image from side to side… Just google “Lenticular printing”)

 

They were asking something like $1,500 for this piece… There were no takers. Forget the artist's name too, but none sold on our cruise as well.

 

Next, and this one really concerned me for Princess’ sake… (Princess should not have let Park West use the Princess Fine Arts name)… Next …. Came an embellished Peter Max print.

This is where the whole process got sketchy…. The Auctioneer said that up for auction was a “Genuine one of a kind hand embellished Peter Max print” he said that they could get as many of these hand embellished prints as the audience needed. He said “Imaging telling your friends that you have a Peter Max Painting that was hand painted just for you!” “Your own one of a kind painting” He said that they had the power to just call Max up and order as many as were needed. Place a bid and everyone in the room could each have a “unique one of a kind Max”. Ditto on our cruise. They seem to be careful to imply that each and every print is a one of a kind. Reminds me of the old New York City scheme where a streep person wants to make a bet he knows where you got those shoes. Make the bet and he and his strongarm friends will gladly tell you :"You got 'em right here in front of me standing on the sidewalk." You had best pay off the bet and leave smarter.

 

I should not have to tell you, this was very scary. This is the type of thing that can cause lawsuits. There were no takers… So I guess it was not a problem in the end.

 

A few more prints were brought up and the same style and rhythm followed, the auctioneer be-de-be-de stuff, three people running around etc…… ibida-ibida-ibida

Finally the auction started to spool down.

 

At this point at least 2/3rds of the audience had left. The three employees continued running around the room, they had to be exhausted, they never stopped running!

 

I felt sorry so sorry for some of the bidders as they truly seemed confused, and bewildered.

Some of the bidders seemed very happy and excited with their purchases.

 

Best I could tell, every bidder had a Blue or Gold Cruise card, so I suspect that none of the winners had the chance to experience what an art auction on a Princess ship was vs. what it has become……

 

The 2nd sea day auction followed the exact same pattern. The room was only about 1/3 full at the start and perhaps 20 people (Counting me) at the end.

 

Well that’s my take, I have no intentions of ever purchasing anything from Park West.

Thanks to sacking of PFA and Princess switching over to Park West, my end of Cruise statement was less than $200.00. Wow, first time that has happened in years and I still had a great time! Yes us as well. We found some new free time in sea day afternoons instead of attending the "Art Auction"

 

Maybe this will help some folks, maybe it will not help at all.

Whatever you choose do on your cruise, remember to enjoy the ride!

 

Comments in red above.

[Loonbeam]

As a note, the ibida-ibidia or the porky pig stutter is a common and accepted auctioneer technique. It's used to keep a rhythm going and people's ears focused on the auctioneer while their eyes wander.

[Shoalwater]

As a note, the ibida-ibidia or the porky pig stutter is a common and accepted auctioneer technique. It's used to keep a rhythm going and people's ears focused on the auctioneer while their eyes wander.

 

Yes, but you don't hear it at Sotheby's (:D)