Park West Art Auctions

I didn't know whether to post this on the Entertainment or Shopping Forum but I feel it is more like shopping.  We had some fun on the last cruise at the auctions and have bought from Park West onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise.  Has anyone got any experiences with the art auctions onboard that they would like to share?  We love the champagne and sometimes that's all it takes to make the plunge and buy a new work of art.  We purchased a Thomas Kinkaid and it makes a great addition to our home.

I won $3000 worth of art on one of my cruises.  I was the guess closest to the price of an original Picasso. 

We have had great luck and horrible luck with Park West.  on my wife and I's first cruise we went to the auction and bought a few pieces of art (Marcus Glen) and received them much faster than they had said.  However on our second cruise we purchased a few more Marcus artworks and were told we would have them 6-8 weeks after the cruise.  We were fine with that but 5 months later we still hadn't received anything.  Called them numerous times and the only answer i could get out of them was that some of their frames were on backorder.  Was very frustrated about the whole situation and all they said they would do was credit our shipping cost.  So we kept waiting and finally 6 months after the cruise we got them and once we opened the box our artworks were in the wrong frames.  So once again i called them and let them know about our situation and the lady (yes a manager) said that there were no notes on the account saying which frame we wanted.  I told her that we bought these Marcus Glen works and wanted the frames to match the ones we got on our first cruise and were told on the ship that wasn't a problem at all.  She then proceeds to tell me that all they can do for me is pay to have them shipped back and it would be at least another 6-8 weeks before we got them back to us in the right frames.  Was so frustrated at this point that i just cancelled our order completely and then it took 2 more moths for them to finally credit by Park West card account.   We really love their works of art but after this experience i am not sure we will ever buy from them again which *** because our favorite artist is exclusive to Park West

I guess we were lucky our first experience.  In fact, we were traveling with some dear friends and they also bought a piece from Park West.  They will negotiate prices despite the auction atmosphere.  They gave us a good price because we both bought something and they arrived on time. 

I really dislike having to go through the shipping it back hassle.  I've done that with internet purchases and never really had too many problems but it can be a real pain.  Good luck in the future.

My wife and I have purchased art from Park West on several of our cruises. Our only problem was one of the pieces we received was creased in one spot, and they replaced it.

I can tell you that the art they sell is probably not nearly worth what they claim. I haven't had any appraised off ship, but based on what I've read online, their prices are really inflated. Many people who have posted on several web sites have stated that they have had pieces appraised after they bought it onboard, and was very disappointed at the results. The take home message is buy what you like and what works in your home's decor. Don't buy for investment. This philosophy has worked well for us.

Good luck, and happy sailing!

We have made purchases from the art auctions with no problems. It can be fun register and sit in. Free champagne. You don’t have to bid on anything and you may get something free from one of their drawings. We also have two artworks we received for free that we have not hung yet.

My husband and I bought (and won) quite a few pieces on our honeymoon. We had great a experience and it really was the beginning of my husbands interest in art and art history. I found an artist I really like and have begun to collect. Try it out if you haven't before. If nothing else, you may win something.

We've also bought art from the auctions onboard and have never had an issue. Always take what they say about the price and value with a grain of salt, but that's with all art. The market is always changing. But if you love the piece and the price feels right to you, then go for it and enjoy the bubbly! :)

I love going to the art auctions - but as entertainment.  THE ART IS NOT INVESTMENT GRADE ART.  It is worth close to the price but don't expect any appreciation.  It is just fun to attend and the bubbly is free.

If you want an idea of the value of the art typical of Park West just go to eBay and type in Park West.  All the art listed was purchased on cruise ships.

Glad we went into it with the same mindset people are suggesting here.  We just wanted to go because we had never been to an art auction before.  There was a really cute print (Betty boop with Elvis-love silly things like that) that I just loved, so my husband bid on it and won it for me.  We also got a really cute Scooby Doo poster for our boys.  I did like that they set aside another Betty Boop picture to show me, of course they were trying to make another sale, but I found it thoughtful.

I don't believe that these are true 'art' pieces, but rather they are fun prints that I took a liking too and bought.  We did get them rather quickly-about three weeks I believe-so I am happy about that.