“Shop” is my favorite four-letter word, and if there’s a “shopportunity” to be found when I’m traveling, you can bet I’ll sniff it out. Sometimes that means venturing off the tourist path to a craftsman’s studio or stopping along the roadside when a vendor’s wares catch my eye. But on Quantum of the Seas, it only requires a stroll along the Royal Esplanade.
In the three days I’ve been on board two luxury boutiques have opened, both first-at-sea brands. Cartier’s “espace” (French for “space,” and the prestige brand’s nomenclature for their onboard store) flung open its doors yesterday, immediately tempting me with several iterations of their classic Ballon Bleu watch.
The rose gold-and-diamond beauty I’m modeling here will set me back around $40,000. But when you consider that’s about five percent below retail Stateside and there’s no sales tax, well … I have to at least consider it, right?!
And then this afternoon the Bulgari and Hublot shop debuted with even more tasteful temptations. Hublot’s watches were impressive, but I was immediately enchanted by Bulgari’s new Serpentine collection of leathergoods. Ooh, that cobalt leather wrist-wrap with the enamel snake’s head clasp!
Wowza, look at that wallet with plenty of pockets to stash my notes and receipts in style!
And who wouldn’t want to have that golden clutch in their hands on girl’s night out?!
Neither items are exactly cheap at $460, $755 and $1,980 respectively. But again, at 10 percent off retail and with no sales tax or duty, they’d make perfect shipboard splurges, no?!
Alright, maybe I’ll sleep on it and see how I feel in the morning. After all, tomorrow is another day. And, I hear, another store opening, too …
– Sarah
Missed my first impressions of Quantum? Yesterday was all about sampling delicious food and go-cart riding. Follow along here and on Instagram and Twitter (#JSSSails), as I make my way from coast to coast.
