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Critic of cruise ship art auctions wins $500,000 from Park West

bala1130

By bala1130,
in Royal Caribbean International

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Puffinater

Puffinater

Posted
Posted
That was the one great thing about the Oasis. No art spread all over the ship. They have an art gallery located on Central Park and it's not run by this group. You have to go there in order to view the art.

 

This is good to know. This will be one place we will not visit while on the Oasis.

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Mark_K

Mark_K

Posted
Posted
Hopefully the cruise line execs will wise up and take these art auctions off the ship.
The suit wasn't about the art on the ship, it was about Park West defaming one of its critics. The real test will be the suit in Seattle that hasn't come to trial yet.
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BecciBoo Great Review Rare

BecciBoo

Posted
Posted

I've been saying this for years. I am an art major and I knew all along that most of what they sell at exhorbitant prices can be had online for a tiny fraction of that. Has nothing to do with one's taste in art, just that you're getting ripped off. High time someone did something about it. Sorry RCCL and other lines, time you put some other vender on board. And I'm sure they got their cut of all that too. See...I don't always cheer for my line.:cool:

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Alexis

Alexis

Posted
Posted
PhoenixCruiser;24164507]But where would the cheap cruisers go for free Champagne ;):eek:

 

###

 

Hi knotIn1 - That is one GREAT picture. It is perfect on what they do. ;)

 

 

I watched one art auction that really proved how fixed it was and I never went back to another.

I too have posted on here several times what I saw them do and so have others. And the people don't care. They reply, "I or we just buy art we like." But on a ship and not an Art Gallery in your home town where if there is a problem you can walk in and return it.

By buying from Park West they continue to enable these people. :rolleyes:

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Cruzin-K

Cruzin-K

Posted
Posted

<shrug> :rolleyes:

 

I've bought paintings and lithographs from the art auctions. Just now I did some Googling to see what the going price is for an Emile Bellet (a favorite artist) lithograph and after checking out ebay and several art gallery web sites I feel a lot better than I did reading all the anti Park West threads on Cruise Critic. I paid a little bit less for my lithographs than the prices I'm seeing on the Web. It wasn't a huge price difference but I like what I bought and I will enjoy my purchases for years to come. I didn't buy the items as an investment - I bought them because I liked them, and could afford them, and apparently would have ended up paying more after I got home.

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Alexis

Alexis

Posted
Posted
<shrug> :rolleyes:

 

I've bought paintings and lithographs from the art auctions. Just now I did some Googling to see what the going price is for an Emile Bellet (a favorite artist) lithograph and after checking out ebay and several art gallery web sites I feel a lot better than I did reading all the anti Park West threads on Cruise Critic. I paid a little bit less for my lithographs than the prices I'm seeing on the Web. It wasn't a huge price difference but I like what I bought and I will enjoy my purchases for years to come. I didn't buy the items as an investment - I bought them because I liked them, and could afford them, and apparently would have ended up paying more after I got home.

 

Enjoy your art. ;) If you are satisified with yours, that is good. ;)

Everyone on here has had an opinion on these art dealers for years. It will be that way until whatever becomes of them, or us. :D

The ones who were not satisfied, or who have had a problem with them, are numerous if you look it up on the internet. They are not just on Cruise Critic.

You will have a lot of reading to do if you do look them up. ;)

On CC we all have freedom of opinion. ;)

 

EDIT:

Are you off of your cruise yet or still on it? How did you like it? The itinerary should have been a little like the Empress was we took.

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John Henry on CC

John Henry on CC

Posted
Posted
I've been saying this for years. I am an art major and I knew all along that most of what they sell at exhorbitant prices can be had online for a tiny fraction of that. Has nothing to do with one's taste in art, just that you're getting ripped off. High time someone did something about it. Sorry RCCL and other lines, time you put some other vender on board. And I'm sure they got their cut of all that too. See...I don't always cheer for my line.:cool:

 

I am not an art major and I knew that.

 

:rolleyes:

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cruiserone

cruiserone

Posted
Posted

After running many art shows for a non profit hospital, I can tell you that most of the art sold on the ships is WAY overpriced and can be purchased at any mall in most states and countries. People like to go for the fun of it. there is so much good art out there, one of a kinds. Local artists are living on what they make from their artwork. I find it comforting to own art from local artists, both near and far. You can find much better art work in a port with a local co op or a small local gallery.

 

On vacations we all like to do things that are "different" than our everyday lives. We went once to see what it was like and to view the art, disappointed. Personally, I do not like the art shows and do not go.

 

To each his own.

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Cruzin-K

Cruzin-K

Posted
Posted
Enjoy your art. ;) If you are satisified with yours, that is good. ;)

Everyone on here has had an opinion on these art dealers for years. It will be that way until whatever becomes of them, or us. :D

The ones who were not satisfied, or who have had a problem with them, are numerous if you look it up on the internet. They are not just on Cruise Critic.

You will have a lot of reading to do if you do look them up.

On CC we all have freedom of opinion. ;)

 

EDIT:

Are you off of your cruise yet or still on it? How did you like it? The itinerary should have been a little like the Empress was we took.

 

Yup, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Of course, if you read the Internet, Royal Caribbean is a rip off, the spa on board is a rip off, drinks are a rip off (hence all the smuggling that goes on), the ship's excursions are a rip off. It makes me wonder why some people (not you) take cruises at all because they complain so much. I think it's sad that some people can't just enjoy cruising without finding something to complain about. Just about everything that anyone has bought in a lifetime has others stating that they got ripped off (cars, travel, medical care, you name it). I think it's natural to see more of the bad stories than the good. How many people go to message boards (not CC) to report that they were happy with their car purchase, or their art purchase, or their contractor who redid their bathroom? Very few. There are an abundance of websites for consumers to lodge complaints but not so many where people report how happy they are. Kind of a sad commentary on our times if you ask me.

 

And yes, I will enjoy my art. I didn't pay all that much in the grand scheme of things and I will get to replace cheap $25 prints I bought 20 years ago with stuff a bit more interesting to look at.

 

I loved my Serenade cruise. Three of the ports were repeats and Tortola and Grenada were new to me. Of course, Grenada would have been a repeat as well if it wasn't for that darn hurricane in 2004. :( Grenada turned out to be the best snorkeling and beach of the whole trip.

 

My only complaint was about my stateroom attendant and even that didn't take away from what a good time I had. I'm going back again and again (but am probably done buying art for a while - not because I think it's a scam but I am now out of wall space :p )

 

edit: Oh, and that champagne they serve isn't very good. I bring my own can of Diet Coke to the auction

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Alexis

Alexis

Posted
Posted
Yup, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Of course, if you read the Internet, Royal Caribbean is a rip off, the spa on board is a rip off, drinks are a rip off (hence all the smuggling that goes on), the ship's excursions are a rip off. It makes me wonder why some people (not you) take cruises at all because they complain so much. I think it's sad that some people can't just enjoy cruising without finding something to complain about. Just about everything that anyone has bought in a lifetime has others stating that they got ripped off (cars, travel, medical care, you name it). I think it's natural to see more of the bad stories than the good. How many people go to message boards (not CC) to report that they were happy with their car purchase, or their art purchase, or their contractor who redid their bathroom? Very few. There are an abundance of websites for consumers to lodge complaints but not so many where people report how happy they are. Kind of a sad commentary on our times if you ask me.

 

And yes, I will enjoy my art. I didn't pay all that much in the grand scheme of things and I will get to replace cheap $25 prints I bought 20 years ago with stuff a bit more interesting to look at.

 

I loved my Serenade cruise. Three of the ports were repeats and Tortola and Grenada were new to me. Of course, Grenada would have been a repeat as well if it wasn't for that darn hurricane in 2004. :( Grenada turned out to be the best snorkeling and beach of the whole trip.

 

My only complaint was about my stateroom attendant and even that didn't take away from what a good time I had. I'm going back again and again (but am probably done buying art for a while - not because I think it's a scam but I am now out of wall space :p )

 

edit: Oh, and that champagne they serve isn't very good. I bring my own can of Diet Coke to the auction

 

We all have opinions. Good and bad. And I bet we are both correct.

If I mentioned a very popular site on here where people book vacation travel packages and airline flights, I would be banned for life on here.

My language would have me eating soap too.

Me, who always does all my own things, fell into a cheaper than dirt trap.

I am still banging my head against my walls. :D

14 emails of airline changes in 2 months done by this company. NOT the airline. (They keep putting me on cheaper flights than I paid them for)

The airline confirmed that for me when I got them to check the records of changes and emails 2 days ago.

The Airline finally took the flights booking control away from them when I finally showed the airline they had me flying out of a state I don't live in?? :eek:

But I will guarantee you that thousands of people will swear they never had a problem with this company when ever they used them.

And they are probably 100% correct. ;)

So the same with art and pictures. We will never all agree.

 

PS, Every cruise we have booked to include Grenada has been either canceled, the itinerary changed or missed because of a Hurricane. I am hoping to get back there before it is too late. :eek: I have been trying to get there again for so many years I forget?

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Jolimont

Jolimont

Posted
Posted

I am no art critic either, but I know a hard sales pitch when I see one. If they need a sizeable staff of gorgeous 25yo to make sweet conversation with the passengers it means they know the art isn't going to sell itself.

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tispwisp

tispwisp

Posted
Posted

Hmmmm. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I'm not convinced that the high priced artwork is a good deal, but we bought some fantastic unique art from newer artists at what we consider a reasonable price. We love the art and like DH said, we could blow that same amount of money on alcohol and in the casino and have nothing to show for it! At least we have something we can look at for many years.

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