What a great cruise! First time for wife, first time on Carnival for me.
I read a lot of reviews by others on Victory and had a bit of trepidation regarding embarkation, cleanliness, etc. Any jitters were soon removed as embarkation was quite easy and quick. From the time we came to the pier until we were in our cabin was about 20 minutes, most of which was going through security. Please note, it really helps to complete that homeland security stuff on-line and have it with you when you start to check-in.
We were both very impressed with Victory! She's a big ship, alright. It takes a good day to get used where things are. As others have said, "Go to Deck 5 (Promenade) and you can pretty much get to wherever you want to go". Keep in mind that this ship takes on some 2,700 passengers when she leaves port, and there are going to be some of the following: