Key aspects:
- Recently, a Royal Caribbean guest won a rare piece of sports memorabilia at an onboard auction, but did not receive the same item.
- Park West Gallery operates on several cruise lines, but works on board are for display only.
- To many art lovers, this type of substitution feels like a bait and switch, but it is included in the gallery’s purchase contract.
Art auctions are a staple on most cruise ships, offering not only paintings and sculptures but also memorabilia from famous athletes, actors and movies. But how authentic are these objects?
One Royal Caribbean cruise guest warned other travelers not to necessarily trust the auctions because you may not actually be bidding on the exact items you see on the ship.
according to current eventsa Brisbane man and his wife attended an onboard auction during a cruise holiday. As they enjoyed the event, they recalled how they found a glove signed by Muhammad Ali at a cruise ship auction they attended years ago and how they regretted not bidding.
What the couple didn't know was that a signed Muhammad Ali glove was part of the auction they were watching, and it wasn't listed in the preview.
The couple took the coincidence as a sign and immediately decided to bid, eventually winning the pair with a bid of $5,000 (AUD – about $3,500 USD). Since their son is a huge Ali fan, they believed the glove would make an amazing and one-of-a-kind gift.
The couple offered to take the items off the ship as is at the end of the voyage, but were not allowed to do so. As is standard procedure for cruise ship art auctions, the item will be shipped to them after being re-framed.
The auction is hosted by Paxi Gallerythe world's largest art dealer and most popular cruise ship art auction company. The gallery auctions more than 90 cruise ships, including Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Celebrity Cruises.
The exact ship and voyage the guests are on is not revealed, but the onboard auctions are always much the same, with a wide variety of items up for bid. Park West Gallery describes its auctions as having “something for everyone” and the art is “curated specifically for each cruise.”
Memorabilia auctions are particularly popular, offering seemingly unique items from celebrities, hit songs, and more.
Did they receive the same gloves?
The guest's questions began 10 weeks into the voyage, when the gloves arrived at the couple's home – was that really it?
Their son was ecstatic to open the glove, but the family soon discovered it wasn't exactly the same glove they had purchased while bidding on the cruise ship. They quickly compared the gloves they received with photos of items on board.
Additional ink spots, slight variations in signatures, and even different serial numbers confirm that the couple did not receive the exact same glove.
“Luckily we took a photo of the gloves before we left the ship,” the guest pointed out.
The couple were assured they would receive the exact same item from the auction, but this was clearly the auctioneer's error.
Park West Gallery did contact the couple to clarify that the items on board were “display items” only and that the purchase contract did provide that if a specific item was not available for auction, it could be substituted with a different, similar item.
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For cruise guests bidding on souvenir artwork, this feels like a bait-and-switch tactic and calls into question the authenticity of the item.
“Who would attend the auction if they knew this?” the guest commented.
Counterfeiting of celebrity memorabilia is common, and while Park West Gallery does provide a certificate of authenticity with every purchase, a forensic investigation is required to authenticate any single item.
The gallery has offered to correct this particular guest's situation to ensure they received the accurate items from the cruise ship. However, the situation is unpalatable and it is unclear whether the offer has been accepted.
This isn't the first time cruise ship art auctions have come under scrutiny. Boarding a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in May 2025 freedom of the seasone Family believe they won auction The bid was $650, and it was later revealed that the actual price was $2,700.
Although it operates on many cruise ships, Park West Gallery is an independent company and is not operated by the cruise line. Nonetheless, cruise guests interested in art auctions should always practice “caveat emptor” (buyer beware) to ensure they feel confident in their purchase.
