I am going on a cruise!!! Help me, I have no clue what to wear

[MissMillament]

OK, so we have booked our summer holiday - two week cruise to Northern ]] Peterburg, Copenhagen etc) and three of the nights are formal nights where black tie is encouraged (and I am keen to glam up to the max as I never get a chance to in RL).
But now I am panicing as we leave the day after school breaks up so I need to do all shopping for me and three teen girls (and DH) either online or in half term so I need help putting together capsule wardrobes.
I have ordered a couple of dresses online for formal nights
navy and purple
but have no shoes to go with.
Also I have a couple of day dresses but what else should I get, capsule wardrobe-wise? Linen trousers or something else? I have no nice tops at all. I would love a kind of Katherine Hepburnesque thing but am 5ft5, size 14 hourglass so need to work within my limitations. I reckon I need what, four bottoms, eight tops and a couple of dresses?
Any thoughts from anyone on how I can do this without bringing steamer trunks of luggage on board.
And any thoughts on what three teenage girls (12, 14, 17) might wear for formal nights on board - there will be three black tie nights over the course of the fortnight.
Thank you if you have managed to make it to the end of this post. I fear it reflects my mental confusion at this wardrobe challenge!

I'm 26, have DS aged 8 years old but look about 19 years old and have a few times been mistaken as a year 11 school child - kind of scary. If I was going on a cruise I'd be wearing quicksilver or similar skate/surfing t-shirts with 3/4 length shorts as would my DS. He looks so sweet and cute in his little quiksilver, element, vans etc t-shirts. I sometimes wish some of the designs on his ones were available in my size. I'm a BIG kid at heart.

But vociferous you wouldn't be able to eat in the main dining room dressed like that .

Found some really nice linen trousers in Dotty Ps today for 22 quid so have bought in navy and khaki.
My dresses turned up and the Damsel in a Dress navy dress is gorgeous and a total bargain. The [[http://www.phase-eight.co.uk/pws/ProductDetails.ice?ProductID=202589351&redirect=true&gclid=CL65sP6Os74CFfMftAod5zkAbw Phase 8 Mabel]] not very nice and is going back.
And thanks to Doilooklikeatourist I got this red dress for DD1 and it looks stunning on her.
Question for those you who have been on Celebrity before - would you wear the same dress more than once to formal night or do we really need three different outfits?

I had 2 evening dresses and 3 formal nights , wore the same dress twice .
No one noticed , I just couldn't justify buying 3 evening dresses even if they did only cost £29 each

I think that is a good plan. I might get this one for me if it is not too like DDs and wear the navy one twice and the grey one once.
Getting ridiculously excited now!

I've been on Celebrity.

I saw fewer men in black tie on Celebrity than I find on P&O which surprised me as Celebrity is a higher class cruise line (and far superior, IMO). Most men just wore normal business type suits.

My formal night attire is generally a glam black maxi dress or a 50s style dress with full skirt/petticoats. Whether you can get away with the same dress on multiple nights depends on the type of dining you opt for. If you haven't opted to have my time/freedom dining then you will be seated at the same table every night with the same dining companions. If you're bothered about them seeing you in the same dress every formal night, then you'll need a few. No-one else would notice I'm quite sure.

Teens won't be expected to be in full formal gear. Any nice dress will be fine. The only real no-no on formal nights is denim. The dress codes aren't really that strict.

Very jealous...I love Celebrity. You'll have a ball :)

Lucky you!
Are your formal shoes sorted yet? If I were you I'd go for some metallic heels that'll go with almost all dresses, like these
I do think you need to plan outfits for every night, not just formal. (Unless you are planning to eat in the buffet?). So a couple more nice dresses, smart trousers with a spangly top type thing.
Teen girls I would expect to wear prom type dresses on formal nights. I've always worn full length and DH has always worn black tie.
Assume you are sailing to/from UK on that itinerary? If so, you can take plenty of luggage.
Daytime I think you need trousers (boden's bistro crops might be good) light tops plus sweatshirts/cardis & comfy shoes for walking in - converse style or whatever you normally wear when you have to walk a lot?!

boden cistro crops

Thanks for that info, guys - it is really helpful.
Chewbacca - those heels would be ideal if they were a bit lower, I have a weak ankle because of a past injury and two inches to three inches is the most I can do, even with an ankle strap.
I love the Boden trousers. Can you remember when the sale usually starts?
TheAbominableWoman - we have anytime dining. We are going from Southampton so we can take quite a bit with us. My girls have got three or four nice dresses each so are sorted for dining, I think. DH has got black tie and will be taking it - I insisted and he didn't object too much, I think he is secretly looking forward to getting dressed up too!

Oh, should have added, in addition to there dresses, I have two jersey maxi dresses - one cobalt blue and one black - and a couple of nice cotton kneelength dresses.

With anytime dining, I'd take 2 formal dresses and re-wear them. The wardrobe space on Celebrity is generous so don't worry about packing light (suitcases fit under the bed for storage).

On a packing note, whilst hair driers are supplied in cabins they are beyond shit. It's literally the only complaint I have about Celebrity. If you need a decent one pack your own...and a 4 gang extension block is very handy as sockets are minimal.

Thanks. I have ordered the grey dress now, so that is two ultra-formal dresses plus four that are good for semi-formal. Just need some silver shoes now that are not too high. Love the ones Chewbacca linked to, but I doubt if I could stand up in them let alone walk.
I reckon I now need smart crops - like the Boden ones but maybe a bit cheaper - and some tops that will go with my linen trousers, a pair of comfortable sandals for walking that are not too fugly and a bag that looks smart but big enough to hold all the stuff I will need to take off the ship on day trips. Oh, and a wrap for evenings. Those of you who have done the Baltic cruise - does it get chilly in the evenings?
Also, thanks for the hairdryer advice, Abominable. Do I need adaptors for the sockets or are they UK sockets, as it is an American ship (I think)?
You are all being amazingly helpful, so glad I posted this thread.
Thank you.

Sockets will be American type so you'll need adapters. I imagine teens will have heavy electricity demands (phones, tablets, hair appliances etc)

They will be banned from phone and internet for duration of the cruise unless they can find free wifi ashore! True enough though, they will have kindles, ipods and a tablet to play predownloaded games on.

We cruised Celebrity from Southampton , on The Eclipse .
They had both US and UK sockets , but only about 2 of each .
Not enough , especially for teenagers
There was also a tea / coffee / kettle set .

RCI had both mainland European and US plug sockets, ours were in use all the time for Kindles, Ipods, phones etc (could get enough 3G to download emails whenever we were in sight of land, but it's expensive, so we turned it off most of the time, just grabbed emails periodically). Yes to lots of adaptors!

Even when the weather is very hot it can be cool in the evenings on deck, but generally there are sheltered and exposed parts of the ship.

DoI - we are on the Eclipse also. Whereabouts on the ship were you? We are on deck 6, with restricted view balcony. Any tips for making the most of the ship?

Deck 8 , interconnecting rooms with the balcony joined too .

We always used the stairs , never the lift :)

Cafe al bacio for coffee (we had a drinks package )

Sit at the back , on the top deck leaving Southampton , with a sail away drink . 4 or 5 cruise ships left one after the other all sounding the horns , it was lovely watching the wake of the ship .

We went to the theatre most nights ( not the DC ) some very good shows , some not so good .

The teen activities were very good , they even had a careers talk ! A life at sea .

We didn't do many excursions , too pricey , but we were mostly in Spain , Portugal and France .

Sunset at sea is beautiful , when we got home everything looked so green ! We'd got used to the blue of the sea .

Dolphins and whales , loads of them .

It was meant to be the trip of a lifetime , a one off ... But I want to do it again .

Oh brilliant thank you, what useful info. I don't think our rooms interconnect, but I am hopeful our balconies will.
We have drinks packages too, as part of the promotion they were doing when we booked - all but the youngest and she has onboard credit instead. I was thinking the two oldest will have to monitor that for her!
DC are all musical theatre fans so might like some of the shows.
We are booking a private company tour in St Petersburg as they are much better value than the ship excursions and you can't get off the boat without a visa. Otherwise we are doing our own thing - the ship charges ridiculous prices for their trips.

Tip for finding free wifi which applies to cruising in most areas of the world - round the port area watch where the crew go. They head straight for the nearest free wi fi zone to talk to friends and family back home. You can always research internet cafes etc but I'm far too lazy to do that!

Anyone who is visiting Tallinn, Estonia, on their Baltic cruise, there are loads of free hotspots, use the "TallinnWIFI" network. No password required. We found it worked all over the old town.

OP, I've never seen dolphins and whales in the Baltic, tourist was very lucky to see them. I was there in June last year and the weather was the best I've had in that area. It was hot every day and it didn't rain. St Petersburg is amazing, and if you're there in mid June to very early July it stays light till really late. Absolutely amazing.
Have a great time.

It was Eclipse that I was on too. It's a fabulous ship. I flew to Miami though for a Caribbean cruise and there were no modifications for the British market at that time (no kettle etc).

We had a balcony cabin. Can't remember which deck but might have been 8. I agree with Baci for coffee and investigate drinks packages, particularly if you like a cocktail or two or a few glasses of wine with dinner as the drinks can be expensive. I was pregnant when we were in Eclipse but I had a non alcoholic drinks package which included speciality coffees and frozen virgin cocktails.

Ok, need to read properly...see you have drinks packages. In that case, make the most of it! IME, bar staff were happy to mix you any drink to want whether its on the cocktail menu or not.

Pastells we went to the Spanish Mediterranean , not the Baltics .

It's quite funny , sunbathing on the top deck (14?) someone would see dolphins , then everyone would be hanging over the side trying to see them !
Those dolphins really show off .. Oooh there's a cruise ship ! Let's play and make them watch us ...

MissMillament when you first se the ship in Southampton , it's massive , like a floating high rise tower block .
Inside though , it's fabulous .

I'm useless on the fashion advice, but we went on a Baltic cruise a couple of years ago & it was amazing. We had a fantastic time.

We did our own thing for all the ports, except for St Petersburg. If we went again (and I'd love to) we'd organise visas ourselves & book a private tour as we weren't impressed with the ship's ones.

We went with P&O & everyone dressed up to the nines for formal nights. Anyone who didn't looked a bit out of place. Your dresses look perfect for the occasion, OP.

You'll have a wonderful time

Thank you, Drama. I am so looking forward to it. The grey dress arrived today and it is lovely - amazing value for 27 quid. Now I need a decent strapless/halterneck bra though!