Art Auction on board

[Cinderelli]

Hi, folks -- going on the Conquest in 9 days. Have any of you participated in the art auctions on board?

 

How many pieces do they show? Types of pieces? Have you gotten some good deals?

 

Are there incentives to come?

Thanks!

:p

[cyndepet]

Great deals like free champagne and small prints just for showing up and staying until the end. They also do some cool things like blind auctions, where you don't know what you're bidding on until the end. All the successful "bidders" then have the option of purchasing the art at the winning price, or they can have it taken off their account. Good way to get some inexpensive art!

 

I got an even better deal on my last cruise. We won some free prints and also purchased a few. Half a year later, I've never gotten a bill or invoice for the art. I have no idea what might have happened, but I'm certainly not complaining!

[sea_u_onboard]

My art has always showed up on my S&S bill. Maybe you just never noticed - :D .

 

We bought a great peice when we were on the Conquest last year. They have a variety of peice laid out during the preview. If you are interested in hearing about the piece or possibly purchasing the piece you let one of the sales reps know and they place a sticker on it. All the stickered pieces are then brought up to the front for auction. Just because you ask for a sticker on a piece doesn't mean you have to bid.

[willybegolfer]

Sailed on the Conquest in July. I collect Sports memorabilia. I found the minimum prices to be high on the sports related items. Not much "auction" to the auction. Usually, a piece that is stickered is brought up, high price pieces get preference, the auctioneer gives a bit of a history to build up the piece and sets a minimum bid. One person bids and its sold.

 

Had plenty of free champaign, but never got anything free and never won a raffle. They are really pushing Peter Max, so if you like, you could do some homework and guage the relative prices from that.

[Diva70]

Just got off the Fantasy and participated in one auction - kind of wish I'd participated in the others, it was a BLAST! Auctioneer Wesley, if you ever get to meet him, is hysterical. He was involved in a lot of other actitivites on board too (and off, apparently, he was hanging out at Senor Frog's with all of us nuts). We got the free piece, and it's beautiful, and through the "blind auction" picked up two more. Excellent prices on all, especially on the Peter Max's and the Kincaid's, I know how much those run and the starting bids were great.

 

Plus, free champagne, heck, you can't beat that. LOL

[Cotton]

Hi Cin. Go! I really enjoy the auctions. First, I appreciate art - second, I like champagne!;)

On previous cruises, when I've gone in to browse and have a glass or two of champagne, I've been given a comp print (8x10, usually 2-3 to choose from). However, on the last cruise, there was a little sign that your comp print would be given to you only AFTER the auction was over.

I've only stayed until the end once, when I did bid (obviously low), but it was kinda fun, and I left feeling a bit giddy from all the bubbly!:rolleyes:

[txflood3]

Just out of curiosity, how big are the pieces being bid on? And what price range do they normally go for?

[Diva70]

There's all sorts of sizes, small to huge, and all sorts of bids, small to huge. LOL. :D Wide variety. What we did on ours was when we signed up and got our bid number, we were given little sticky notes. We went around and looked at all the pieces in the room, and if you wanted to see it come up during the auction you stuck the sticky on it - so that way if you see something you adore, you can be sure it will definitely come up for auction.

[e058874]

testing

[triplelutz]

We've bought art on the Destiny about 5 years ago, and then again this past June on the Pride. We have a particular artist that we like, and were so happy to see some more of his paintings. For us, framing through Park West was so much cheaper than doing it at home, and the pieces came just a week or so ago, and look great!

 

It's a fun way to get into the art world and find some artists or works that you really like. For me, I buy the art because I like it, not for an investment.

[ken56]

we have gone to the auctions on all of our cruises and had lots of fun not to mention the art we have purchased........some that still is not framed from 3 cruises ago. a wide variety is offered but prices can start out in the $80 and go into the tens of thousands. was told of some original Dahli's going for 60k......wow. the free small prints you get just for going are worthy of framing also so you dont need to buy anything if you dont care to. I won a very nice linda lakimph (sp ? ) that I just love. a contemporary jazz composition. the wife just had to have a rembrandt this time too...be careful though if you do go cuz you can go into debt real fast lol. have fun

[Kittymama]

Interesting tidbit. Since Carnival bought Princess, they had a dilemma over which of the auction houses to use--the one on Carnival or the one on Princess. They went with the one on Carnival. However, on the Glory, they stayed with the other house, to avoid monopoly charges.

 

That being said, they're always fun to go to. The first one can be a bit of a drag because they spend so much time talking about rules. Also, sometimes the auctioneer can be a bit of a drag. Some of them are more interested in making money than the art, so they spend more time dragging out the "names"--Picasso, Dali, etc. If you're lucky, you'll get one who's an art major. They're very informative & can discuss the interesting points of the pieces you're looking at. Also, for all of the ships (but the Glory), they give away prints if you show up for the auctions.

[cyndepet]

My art has always showed up on my S&S bill. Maybe you just never noticed - :D .

Oh boy, with the damage I did, we'd have definitely noticed;)

 

I would definitely recommend going if only for the free prints. Pop them in inexpensive frames, and you'll remember your cruise every time you see them!

[Cruisegirl6]

Just my opinion.....

 

I have to admit if you go, you will get free champagne that is a very nice touch. I never will bid on any of the auctions, and if some of you say then why go and get the free champagne, well just think, that champagne is given to you in hopes you bid and go crazy outbidding one another right?

 

I have found the starting prices to be on the high side than what it would cost you here in the states. They want to get the highest price they can for each piece of course, why would I want to pay more? Sure it is fun to do and to come home with a portrait for a souvenier is nice and something you keep forever, but I don't like to get ripped off. On a couple of occasions, I recall seeing the same portraits on the ship as here and the prices those poor people paid way too much!

 

If you do get one, then you have to get it back home, I think they pack it well for you but you will need to pay for it as many times it is too large to carry on a plane, you need to worry how you will check it on the plane, etc. Why have that worry? Then to worry whether it comes back home in one piece? Not for me....I have not found many people going crazy bidding on pieces (I mean compared to all the people that do attend the auction to get the free champagne) but they do go.

[sea_u_onboard]

Most of the artwork is serial lythographs (hope I spelled that right) - so you don't get them on the ship - they ship them to your home in a big tube. It was $35.00 for up to 3 pieces (I believe). If you do bid on one that you have to take off with you just be sure you can get it back home. Sometimes these take off specials are really a great deal because they include the frame. You may get a great deal on a shipped piece only to discover that the framing costs more then you spent on the piece.:eek:

[willybegolfer]

Just out of curiosity, how big are the pieces being bid on? And what price range do they normally go for?

On Conquest, they had an original Peter Max, Statue of Liberty head. The auction was opened to all Carnival ships sailing at the time. The last day the piece was awarded to a $70,000 bidder on another ship. That number might be off a bit, but it is close.

[cruzinpsycharnp]

I got a really beautiful print that is very abstract angels with vibrant colors for only $45. I thought for sure more people would bid but there were only 2 bids. It cost me over $400 to frame it. It hangs over my fireplace and is gorgeous. I like the champagne too.

[judyjbest]

We started attending the art auctions on our second or third cruise. We've purchased a few pieces here or there where the starting price was low (we knew the artist's prices) and won the bid low. The first time we won, Park West sold us framing, too, so the art arrived at our home framed and ready to hang. Since then, they stopped framing, and now I'm having trouble getting the initiative to get everything framed. And, I too love champagne!

[k9hndler]

As another person stated, I started attending the art auctions on my second cruise. I really enjoyed them, though I knew almost nothing about art. The Auctioneers are very knowledgeable however and instruct you on both the how to's of auctioning and the fine points of art and the Seri lithographs that are mostly offered. The free pieces for going are great and I had most pieces framed, which as someone stated, cost more than many of the prints were offered for. I also bid on and bought a Thomas Kinkade Lithograph far below what I would have paid in a gallery. (I checked once off the ship with several galleries) Most of the other pieces I liked on board I "Previewed", and looked for on E-bay when I returned home. Ironically, I purchased some great stuff on e-bay at a fraction of the cost on board, mostly from former cruisers unloading pieces they either won at the on board raffles or did not want to have to pay to have framed. They even came with Certificates of Authenticity from Park West galleries, the on board auction company. Good Luck and have Fun.

 

Mark