Because nothing says “prepared traveler” like aggressively pulling electrolytes out of your beach bag while your friends are fighting for survival after two margaritas and one hour in the Bahamas sun.

For our girls cruise to the Bahamas, I decided to make everyone custom cruise swag bags. Partly because I love being extra, but mostly because two of my friends had never been on a cruise before and I wanted them to feel prepared.

And honestly? These bags were ICONIC.

Not only were they cute, but every single item ended up getting used constantly throughout the trip. Airport? Used it. Excursion? Used it. Pool deck? Used it. Questioning our life choices after day drinking in tropical humidity? Absolutely used it.

So if you’re planning:

• a girls cruise

• birthday trip

• bachelorette cruise

• first-time cruise

• or honestly any vacation where chaos is likely…

…here are the cruise swag bag essentials I swear by now.

Shop My Cruise Swag Bag Essentials

I linked everything we used here so you can steal my packing strategy instead of learning the hard way:

Shop My Amazon Cruise Swag Bag List

Your future dehydrated cruise self is welcome.

1. LMNT Electrolyte Packets

AKA: the real hero of the cruise

Listen. Nobody talks enough about cruise dehydration.

You’re:

• drinking

• in the sun

• walking nonstop

• eating salty food

• forgetting water exists

LMNT packets saved our lives approximately 47 times during this trip.

We used them:

• after beach days

• before excursions

• after cocktails

• after snorkeling

• after “just one more drink”

These earned permanent placement in my travel bag.

2. Magnetic Hooks for the Cruise Cabin Walls

Tiny item. Massive impact.

First-time cruisers do NOT realize cruise cabin walls are magnetic.

These little hooks completely changed the game.

We used them for:

• swimsuits

• beach bags

• coverups

• lanyards

• random vacation clutter

Cruise cabins are basically stylish shoeboxes, so anything that creates extra storage immediately becomes elite.

3. Waterproof Phone Cases

Because your phone deserves a vacation too

I bought these thinking: “Oh these might be useful.”

No. These became ESSENTIAL.

We used them:

• snorkeling

• on the beach

• by the pool

• during excursions

• while attempting “casual candid” water photos

And honestly? Some of our favorite trip photos came from these waterproof pouches.

4. Grace & Stella Eye Masks

For when the group dinner reservation is in 20 minutes and everyone looks deceased

These became our nightly ritual while getting ready for dinner.

There’s just something deeply healing about sitting in a cruise cabin wearing under-eye masks while drinking canned cocktails and pretending you’re at a luxury spa instead of recovering from 9 straight hours of vacation behavior.

10/10.Would emotionally support my under-eyes again.

5. Touchland Hand Sanitizers

Functional and aesthetic

I got everyone tropical-scented Touchland sanitizers specifically for the Bahamas portion of the trip because obviously we needed a theme.

And honestly? Everyone loves getting a new Touchland.

They’re cute. They smell good.They make you feel like the kind of traveler who has their life together.

Even when your suitcase exploded across the cabin floor 15 minutes earlier.

6. Cruise Lanyards for Room Keys

The item you don’t realize you need until you need it every 14 seconds

Your cruise card becomes your:

• room key

• ID

• payment method

• boarding pass

• entire personality

You use it CONSTANTLY.

The lanyards saved us from digging through giant beach bags every five minutes like raccoons searching for snacks.

7. Colgate Wisps

The underrated travel MVP

These tiny disposable toothbrushes are one of my favorite travel hacks ever.

Perfect for:

• flights

• after cocktails

• before dinner

• post-snack emergencies

• pretending you’re refreshed after waking up too early for an excursion

Tiny. Convenient. Surprisingly life-changing.

8. Chomps Sticks + Gum

Vacation survival snacks

Every good travel bag needs:

• protein

• mint

• emergency snacks

Because eventually someone WILL become irrationally angry from being hungry in line for something.

The Chomps sticks disappeared almost immediately, and the peppermint gum became crucial after approximately 73 cruise coffees and tropical cocktails.

9. Dental Floss Picks

Not glamorous. Extremely necessary.

Cruise food is elite. Cruise food also aggressively attacks your teeth.

After:

• steak dinners

• tacos

• late-night pizza

• poolside snacks

…these floss picks became way more appreciated than expected.

Sometimes adulthood is realizing practical gifts are actually exciting.

10. Sun Bum Sunscreen Lip Balm

Bahamas sun is not playing around

Regular sunscreen? Important.

Lip SPF?CRIMINALLY overlooked.

Between the sun, saltwater, and wind, this little lip balm absolutely earned its place in the swag bags.

Also the tropical vibe of Sun Bum just FEELS like vacation.

11. A Piece of Adventurine

The sentimental travel girl moment

Okay yes, this was my emotional addition.

I gave everyone a piece of adventurine to “protect us on our travels,” and honestly it made the bags feel way more personal.

Was it slightly dramatic? Maybe.

Did I still love it? Absolutely.

I’m a firm believer that the best travel gifts are a mix of:

• practical

• fun

• aesthetic

• slightly sentimental

Basically the same formula as every good girls trip.

Final Thoughts: Build the Swag Bag. Be the Organized Friend.

Honestly, these swag bags ended up becoming one of the most memorable parts of the trip.

Every few hours someone would say:

And as the designated Type-A travel friend? That’s the highest honor imaginable.

If you’re planning a cruise soon, especially with first-time cruisers, I HIGHLY recommend putting together a few fun travel gift bags.

It makes the trip feel:

• more exciting

• more organized

• more elevated

• and significantly less chaotic

Which is important…because the cruise drink package will already handle the chaos for you.

Again, you can shop everything we used here:

Shop My Cruise Swag Bag Essentials on Amazon

Happy cruising ✈️🌴