My first cruise was with a group of friends on Carnival's Victory ship. We were a group of guys in our 20's who were looking for a nice beach vacation and a cruise that had activities geared towards us. In many ways, the Victory delivered. The boat had a festive atmosphere and lots to do (nightclub, casino, piano bar, comedy nights).

However, one key thing that I wish the boat would have had was an adults only pool. The Victory does have an adults only section that has 2 hot tubs. Unfortunately, there was no bigger pool, and the 2 tubs were often packed. I think my next trip will be on a boat that has a larger pool for adults (tons of little kids on my boat this time around).

Another downside was the nightclub - it emptied out way too early. I'm guessing people liked to sleep early or else were traveling with families. Read more