AVOID Park West Galleries Auction at Sea

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

It sure is easy to figure out which posters have bought art from Park West. Defenders of the faith...

 

Personally I wish they would move the auctions out of the Centrum to some more intimate place, like the engine room.

 

LL

 

Yes. Count me in too. The engine room or the kitchen's big freezer.

[mommabean]

Try aiming your video camera at one of those park west auctions and see what happens.

[HighlandCruzer]

Why not buy pieces from local artists?

 

You can then get an original, one-of-a-kind piece rather than a print and support a local artist who probably need the money a lot more than an auction house selling prints.

 

I couldn't agree more. I have bought several pieces from students who sell their art to earn some extra money for school. The pieces are quite remarkable.

[dougp26364]

People who buy art at cruise ship actions must be the same people who buy the souveniers, logo wear and watches that are supposedly "on sale" at the end of each cruise...

 

Maybe, but the two Thomas Kincaids we purchased onboard were far less expensive than purchasing them in one of his gallaries. Lord knows none of his lithographs, of which each print there are thousands running around, will ever be worth much. Why pay $2,000 when I could get them for around $250 plus framing (another $500). Let's see, $2,000 vs $750.

 

But, you really should have some small idea of what you're looking at. Just like the souvenier buyers you just need to buy what you like at a price you feel is reasonable.

 

I also find it humorous to hear people say, "Wait until the last day, they'll drop the price because they know it's there last chance." Never realizing that 3,000 more "last chance" customers will be getting on the ship right behind them. ;)

[MGoBlue2]

Assuming you don't get stupid from the drink, the auctions are pretty much the same as anything you buy on the ship or at a port. It may be slightly better or worse than what you can get at home, but anyone who thinks they're getting a "better than wholesale" steal is deluded.

[BonNYTX]

I also agree with getting the art auction OUT of the Centrum area. We were on the Rhapsody in July on deck 4 and the art work was laid out all over the champaign bar right outside the door to the passenger cabins. I had to snake my way to the elevators/stairs. This was not just while the auction was in progress but for hours before. It made the beautiful Centrum look like a bazaar/flea market.

[RichardK]

I've never attended an Art Auction onboard a cruise ship; nevertheless I love the fact that they have them --- it's because of Art Auctions & Casinos that the price of my cruise remains low. J

[cruisin from florida]

 

I sse nothing wrong with the art auctions and don't feel they need to be avoided. If people aren't smart enough to remember the term "Let the buyer beware" and they think they're getting a "valuable" work of art on the cheap then so be it.

 

The only problem I have is that they are endlessly promoted on a vacation I have paid for. Obviously, the kick-back that RCCL gets from the inflated Park West sales helps their bottom line, and perhaps keeps the basic cabin price down, so I'm not suggesting that they stop having these.

I do have a problem that people have to avoid being suckers because of shady practices. At least in the casino you know the house is going to win in the long run, and that you are GAMBLING, not INVESTING.

I hate to have to have my guard up against getting ripped off ALL the time. Especially on a supposedly care-free vacation that I have paid for.

 

That said, on our next cruise I may go for the free champagne. :-)

[superdeal]

I've never attended an Art Auction onboard a cruise ship; nevertheless I love the fact that they have them --- it's because of Art Auctions & Casinos that the price of my cruise remains low. J

 

Hey, that's a good point. Maybe there should be even larger casinos onboard so cruise prices could be even lower. :D

 

Actually, since casinos are guaranteed to turn a profit, I'm surprised they aren't even bigger. Maybe an entire deck on future cruise ships could be one giant casino complete with complimentary drinks being served, sports gambling, the entire Vegas casino experience! Kids would not be allowed on that deck, which would solve the problem of kids in the casino.

 

Okay, okay ... I guess I got carried away. :o

[Lewdog]

Why would pay even $250 for a Kincaid print? He is a commercial artist.

[Guest cvbart]

Why would pay even $250 for a Kincaid print? He is a commercial artist.

 

Maybe they just like the painting.

 

If you only buy what you like and can afford then art is no problem at all.

[cruisin from florida]

Maybe they just like the painting.

 

If you only buy what you like and can afford then art is no problem at all.

 

That is absolutely the correct way for the VAST majority of folks to buy art. No regrets that way.

 

Actually the same thing really applies to jewelry.

 

The problem arises when the art on the ship and the diamonds on shore are being sold as "investments." Are we really planning to go home and pawn this stuff or resell it in 6 months for a profit? Buy what you love and can afford, and enjoy it. Don't buy anything you don't love or feel uneasy about because someone is trying to tell you it's "worth more" than they are selling it for. Um, if it's really worth so much more, why are they crazy enough to sell it for less?

[PhinsAndGills]

Yes. Count me in too. The engine room or the kitchen's big freezer.

Hee hee - if the art auction WAS in the engine room, I'd actually go to one just so I could see the engine room!

 

We like those traveling "starving local artists" shows. I've seen couch sized paintings go for $60, and you hand the money right to the artist. Obviously not well-known artists, but just that, STARVING artists... but they sometimes have the most beautiful work. And who knows, maybe one of them is the next Rembrandt.

[Charles4515]

Why would pay even $250 for a Kincaid print? He is a commercial artist.

 

I saw the TV show on Kincaid. They are printed in a factory, then workers paint some brush strokes on the prints. LOL. Art for the masses.

 

The art auctions on ships are set up to take advantage of the fact that most people don't know a lot about art.

[smeyer418]

People who buy art at cruise ship actions must be the same people who buy the souveniers, logo wear and watches that are supposedly "on sale" at the end of each cruise...

 

You mean that these aren't a deal? But there is a difference on spending $50.00 on knick nacks and $1000 on prints. The cruise lines and Park west must be doing very well since they are on almost every ship. Personally I have never bought anything at the auction. If you buy something you like, I don't see anything wrong with that. If you are buying for investment you really should know what you are doing beforehand.

[LonW]

I suspected the same thing! Sitting in the very back row, I thought the auctioneer was accepting bids from someone I couldn't see. At the beginning they made a passing comment about "dealers" who were in the room and who would signal without raising a number. It all seemed very shady to me.

 

During the viewing hour before the auction, the "senior consultants" were stalking the room and pressuring people to place a written bid on pieces "otherwise they won't come up to auction." I wonder if folks didn't realize they were actually setting an opening bid at that point?

 

One consultant, named Crystal I believe, asked me if I liked any of the pieces. I pointed to a painting I liked by an artist with an impressionist style. Of course, I had scrutinized the "painting" and realized that it was a giclee, which is a high-quality reproduction that can be printed on large canvas. This particular giclee was indeed on a large canvas, and then had several dabs of paint here and there which represented accents or personalization by the artist (?), making the piece ‘unique’. As someone who has stretched many canvases and painted in many different media, it was very obvious to me what this piece really was.

 

Now, as far as she knew I was someone who was just an uninformed consumer, but that Park West senior consultant did not explain to me that the piece was a reproduction with a few dabs of paint (presumably by the artist, but you have to wonder...). She said the artist was "new to the gallery" and created the impression that he was a young up-and-coming artist that I should jump at the opportunity to collect. She came back later and said I could place an opening bid of $1800 for that painting.

 

Now, the giclee in question was a Venice scene by Marko Mavrovich, who is not a new up-and-comer, but is in fact an established artist who has been around for many years. As I said earlier, I am not pretending to be an expert art appraiser, so that quoted price may be somewhat reasonable for a Marko Mavrovich reproduction on canvas, but I highly doubt it!

 

Depending on the edition and size the price should be $600 to $1250

Personally I don't like his work!

[Guest cvbart]

That is absolutely the correct way for the VAST majority of folks to buy art. No regrets that way.

 

Actually the same thing really applies to jewelry.

 

The problem arises when the art on the ship and the diamonds on shore are being sold as "investments." Are we really planning to go home and pawn this stuff or resell it in 6 months for a profit? Buy what you love and can afford, and enjoy it. Don't buy anything you don't love or feel uneasy about because someone is trying to tell you it's "worth more" than they are selling it for. Um, if it's really worth so much more, why are they crazy enough to sell it for less?

 

Very well said.

 

I don't know enough about art(or jewelry) to ever buy it as an investment on or off ship.

 

But I do know what I like.

[Joe1690]

Bought 2 items from Park West several years ago for about $200 total. One was a carry off piece that was framed. I gave my mom the one piece and she absolutely loves it. For the price it looks great and you know what I don't think it was a bad deal but one never knows. The other piece I have framed in my house and it is quite nice as well. However, I agree with many that Park West often tries to make their products sound far better than they really are. I mean the one item I got was a lithograph, and the other was done on canvas and I realize that there are probably hundreds or thousands of these prints out there. That is why I set a total amount I am willing to spend on any one piece and total for the cruise. Usually people bid far more than I am interested in spending so I win nothing but I have collected quite a few of their free prints just for attending the auction and enjoyed quite a bit of champagne. I don't frequent the auctions as much anymore but still enjoy them on occassion. You just need to be smart about what you buy and how much you are willing to pay. We all work very hard for our money but each place a different value on various items.

[threeofus]

We bought on print on the last sea day...not at the auction and are waiting for it to arrive.

 

It's wasn't terribly expensive and it will always be a nice reminder of our trip so it is well worth the cost.

We had given our DD (15) a "budget" for the cruise and she didn't spend much so she decided to buy a piece of artwork for her bedroom. I think she made a wise choice whether or not we overpaid.

 

I must say I was surprised that they didn't allow us to carry it off -so of course we had to pay shipping. We absorbed the additional cost and I gritted my teeth.

But I'd rather pay for a piece of artwork than the bunch of junk that kids usuallly bring home. So I guess it all worked out.

[crbonfiber]

Park West auctions are a joke. They pray on people who donht know anything about art. The prices they offer are much worse than land base or web based art galleries. Park West is a BIG SCAM!

[Corkle]

I usually go for the free champagne but on the Mariner last year it cost me $$. My 8 year-old was with us and fell in love with a piece. It cost us over $1000 but we all LOVE it and it will be a family keepsake for many years to come. We wouldn't have bought it if we didn't love it and feel good about the price. We've been to about 5 other auctions on the high seas and never purchased before and we'll continue to go.

[bthom70]

On our last cruise, on Carnival Victory.

We bought 3 pieces, 2 Kraz and 1 Belle.

We feel for what we bought, we got our own momento of our vacation.

Everytime we see each piece of art we'll remember that summer on the cruise.

 

Now, pricing aside there were other peices we would have liked to have had but they were out of our price range. If you complain about the prices, don;t raise your hand. Only compliain to yourself if you stuck it and and have to pay the absurd price. This is an auction, if you really have to have it, they buy it otherwise save yor money for other things.

We do not buy any cheap crappy touristy junk in the ports and would rather have something to show people we got on vacation, not a sea shell necklace or other "gotta have insert island name here trinket".

To each his own, but we enjoy the auctions and enjoy giving the Auctioneer some lip if he's being jovial.

Now all that Thomas Kincaid crap has to go, on our last cruise 60% of ALL of the auctions were Kincaid. On day 2 we (about 15 of other cruisers) told the auctioneer to not bring anymore Kincaid out we wanted to see other stuff. Park West is getting paid to sell and those Kincaid sweatshops produce alot of crap.

 

Enjoy the pretty art and only bid if you like and can afford it.

[BaltiGator]

I don't know if their auctions are "for real" or a scam, but either way the auctioneer lady WAS DAMNED SURE ANNOYING AS HELL. :D

[featuremom]

Be careful of the free champagne -- it tends to loosen the grip on your credit card!

[MisterBill99]

I must say I was surprised that they didn't allow us to carry it off -so of course we had to pay shipping. We absorbed the additional cost and I gritted my teeth..

Are you sure they were sending you that exact piece as opposed to another identical piece they had in their warehouse??

 

I went to one or two of these last year on Grandeur. Actually my 14yo son went with me. I was sitting next to a guy who I had met earlier in the cruise and said he went to all of the auctions, but never bought anything. We had an interesting conversation. During the auction, my son wanted to see a couple of sports pieces brought up for auction so I gave him the stickers to put on them. I guess one of the auction guys didn't like a kid doing this because he took them off and never brought up the pieces.

 

Oh yeah, one other thing my son did was to run around to the other side so he could tell us what the "secret" pieces being auctioned were :-).