I'll be fairly brief and to the point. This was cruise #21 for me and I have been a platinum member with Carnival for quite some time. I do enjoy the perks. Embarkation was a breeze, head to the front of the line, get escorted to the VIP section, go through security and head to the captains lounge and get your sail & sign card and then board immediately. Bypasses the rush and long lines. So if you can become a platinum member, do it. If you can book a suite, do it.
This was one of my favorite cruises. I'm going to let you in on a little secret about cruising... Your cruise is whatever you decide to make it. If you want it to be good and fun, it will be. If you want to find things to complain about and be miserable, you will be.
The Victory is an older ship who has not received her 2.0 upgrades yet, but still a very nice ship. It is laid out similarly to some of their other ships, more closely to the former Destiny. I had a GREAT time on board and some great friendships were created as a result of this trip.
The room was clean & comfortable and plenty of storage space. Because it is an older ship, don't expect a flat screen or an in-room minibar, but you will have plenty of places to stick your things. (That's most important to me).