We picked the Carnival Victory based on the great itinerary it provides, calling at 6 different ports on a 7 day cruise of the Caribbean. We boarded the ship in Barbados which was great as only around 100 passengers get to board the ship there. So it was a lot more calmer than boarding in San Juan were the rest of the 2700 passengers do. Boarding the cruise for the 1st time was a breeze, we dropped our cases at the port and they were taken over to the ship for us. Upon boarding we were offered a complimentary rum punch and checked in swiftly by friendly and helpful crew members. We then went for a look around the ship and had some lunch at the buffet. There was a huge variety of people on the ship from young couples and family's to older couples and single sex groups.

We checked into our stateroom which was nice and spacious with a balcony. The staterooms are very well kept and have plenty of storage space. The bathrooms are a good size with a good shower and lots of storage space also. The room had a king size bed and a separate settee seating area.

We later went down to attend the welcome meeting and safety briefing which only took 30 mins and was informative. Read more