We’ve had one cruise cancelled due to non-payment, one cruise cancelled for some unknown reason (system glitch per Princess), and one cruise with the offer benefits messed up.
in all of those cases, Princess agents or managers were able to correct the issues. In some cases, it was a PITA to get things fixed. But in none of the cases was it ever a conspiracy theory worthy issue.
my lessons learned:
1) ALWAYS keep a copy of the promo you’re booking. The promo code at least, and ideally a copy of the actual promo email or mail, with all of the info (not just the front cover
2) Princess’ systems suck. It impacts us cruisers, and it impacts Princess employees. No one is out to get you - sometimes they just don’t have the info available to help you
3) keep track of your cruise after you pay your deposit, a couple of months before your cruise, and immediately following your final payment date. If anything goes wrong, that’s when you can act, and get things fixed.
we’ve been cruising on “free” casino cruises for the last 5 years, and besides system/process problems, always had great experiences.