Art Auctions are such a big source of profit for the cruise lines that the “galleries” art located in a central area of public space and they are heavily promoted in daily programs.  In a New York Times article, passengers who are less than satisfied with the purchase of art when they arrive home sometimes turn to lawsuits against Park West Gallery, which runs the auctions on the ships of every cruise line except Princess (which operates its own art auctions). 

To read the Times’ report, click “Art Auctions on Cruise Ships Lead to Anger, Accusations and Lawsuits”. 

According to the Times article, one problem is that auctioneers claim that the art is worth tens of tousands of dollars and “a good investment”.  However, some cruisers return home to discover it’s worth a fraction of the what they paid.  Park West claims that none of their staff promise anything of the sort.  Well this cruiser has heard those promises dozens of times aboard many cruise ships over the years.  I suggest running “complaints against Park West” in Google to read about others less than satisfied with their purchase.

Have you purchased art on a ship?  Were you pleased with your purchase?