Are advertisements for 'free" resorts or cruises for real? You probably start thinking,"Oh, you can't get something for nothing". That is a lesson we learn in life, sometimes more than once. Knowing the facts behind what makes a "free" cruise available can help you make an intelligent choice about whether it is right for you and your family or truly is too good to be true. In these terribly challenging economic times, many cruise lines are not able to book their ships and fill all the state rooms on board the ship. The rooms which some ships have the most difficulty with booking and filling are the "inside" state rooms. This simply means that the room has no window overlooking the ocean and no ocean view. Travel companies will offer these rooms for free as an incentive to book vacationers that are seeking low cost travel. How can they possibly make money by giving away state rooms. Well, the cruise lines can offer free rooms because they earn money from several sources in addition to the revenue from a booked room. There are a number of other ways that cruise lines make money. Here are some examples: drinks from the bar (sometimes soda too) are charged to your room account; shore excursions for guided tours, snorkeling, hiking, day trips; sometimes cruise ships earn commissions from the airlines on which you book your flight to get to the port; duty free gift shops on board the cruise ship; some cruise ships have gambling casinos on board; some ships offer spa treatments for additional fees. As you can see, the cruise ship lines have plenty of ways to make some money and to offer the passengers extra services to make the vacation more enjoyable and more memorable. When docking at some other countries, like the Bahamas, the ships are billed by that country's government for port charges and taxes. These costs are passed on to passengers but are usually less than $100. Just like airlines have blackout dates that prevent a passenger from using their frequent flier miles during black out dates; cruise ship companies also will use the same tactics to control revenue and publish blackout dates when the inside staterooms and cabins which are sometimes offered for "free" rooms are not available for booking unless to a fully paying cruise line passenger. The point is, do your research. The offer of a "free" cruise could certainly be legitimate. There are usually special conditions that you need to be aware of. Keep in mind the other costs you will be responsible for (airfare, port charges, taxes, drinks aboard ship) when deciding if a vacation offer like a free cruise is right for you and your family. Happy sailing!