Guide to Cruise Ship art auctions

I never have any interest in doing this on a cruise but I thought this was

an Interesting article on art auctions at sea.

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2013/09/27/guide-to-cruise-ship-art-auctions/

I would only buy art on a cruise if it was something I really loved and I was willing to pay the price. People have problems when they think they are buying something that will be a good investment or think they are getting a good deal on an original masterpiece.

I wouldn't buy art on a cruise ship. Too much markup and I think most of it is the type of work you could get anywhere but when it comes to art it's a personal choice.

Keith

I have been told most is made in big copy factories in China. You see the same stuff year after year.

I enjoy going to the art shows but I am not a buyer!!

Great place for free champagne though!

My wife and I really enjoyed the art auctions (watching and buying) on our last Princess cruise and are looking forward to attending and buying again on our next cruise.

Cannot speak for other cruise lines or other ships, but our experience on the Emerald Princess was wonderful. No games or hidden mark-ups. They were always very clear as to whether you were bidding on originals or limited editions. There was no competitive bidding at all (every piece was purchased for initial bid price), so no funny business with plants. Frames and shipping were included, so no gouging there.

We loved it, did our research when we got home and believe that we paid less than market value (in some cases, we paid not much more than the value of the frame). And a couple of years later, we still love the pieces we bought! We can't wait to do it again!

Can't speak for other cruise lines, but I am confident that the auctions on Princess are legit. And they are fun and feature a lot of beautiful art!

I've not gone to the auctions, but I've walked through the many pieces on display--and didn't find things that suited my taste--regardless of price.

The type of art I have seen on Cruise Ships you can purchase at home at prices that should be just as good if not better.

Keith

Keep in mind that it might be pricey to ship the art home. Will they let you carry it off? Are you flying home or driving?

I guess in the end, each person needs to figure out if this is something for them.

Keith

Thanks for the info ..

I first heard of Peter Max at an RCI art shindig.

You can get the same thing on ebay for alot less. Don't waste your money!:eek:

On princess New Zealand cruise January 2014 you could not take art work off the boat, it had to sent from USA to Australia. Very expensive exercise. And even if you "win" a free piece of art work you have to pay for packing and shipping. You do get one free glass of bubbles.

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We go for the free champagne and to people watch-there was a guy on a previous cruise who was such an art snob, he was hysterical to watch. My daughter is an artist with quite a bit of art history background so she had the most fun watching his antics!

I'm a newbie and was surely champagne suckered on our 1st cruise last year. hehe. I purchased a $2000 Alexander Chen and some other $250 painting after the adrenaline kicked in. It was a fun experience but not one I want to repeat.

I did get buyers remorse and quickly called Park West and asked to cancel my purchase once we got off the ship. I was charged a cancellation fee and that was the end of that.

DH had a good time giving me a hard time. He knew he wouldnt get in trouble for gambling on the ship after that move. Hahaha.

At the end of this month, we will be going on our 2nd cruise and THIS time I'm only going for the free champagne. No paddle for me!

I have always wanted to bid on some of the autographed sports items, but never knew if they were authentic. Can you have the auction staff contact you when a certain piece you are interested in is up for auction? Sitting through an auction would bore me to tears. I would rather offer them $ for an autographed piece. Thanks in advance for any advice.

I'm a newbie and was surely champagne suckered on our 1st cruise last year. hehe. I purchased a $2000 Alexander Chen and some other $250 painting after the adrenaline kicked in. It was a fun experience but not one I want to repeat.

 

I did get buyers remorse and quickly called Park West and asked to cancel my purchase once we got off the ship. I was charged a cancellation fee and that was the end of that.

 

DH had a good time giving me a hard time. He knew he wouldnt get in trouble for gambling on the ship after that move. Hahaha.

 

At the end of this month, we will be going on our 2nd cruise and THIS time I'm only going for the free champagne. No paddle for me!

Smart move! Here's the deal with these auctions, as I see it... They give you some champagne to loosen you up and attract people to the auction. The guy running the auction is almost ALWAYS British. I think they think that it sounds more elegant to have someone with an English accent running the auction so it feels "pricey". Then they tell you now great these artists are that you've never heard of and make you think that you are buying an investment. One time I was on an RCCL cruise about 20 years ago where people had written down bids for a How the Grinch Stole Christmas celluloid. The top winner was supposed to get it. Later that night when I was walking around the ship, I saw THREE of the same Grinch cels leaned up against cabin doors in the hallways. Apparently, all three were the winners on different decks. Scam!

I saw THREE of the same Grinch cels leaned up against cabin doors in the hallways. Apparently, all three were the winners on different decks. Scam!

Tough to expect a unique celluloid at 24 frames per second of footage... :cool:

Tough to expect a unique celluloid at 24 frames per second of footage... :cool:

Oh yes, but they were auctioning of what was supposed to be one cel....lol.

Just forget them. The champagne is crap and the so called auction experts are full of it.