Overview: The Carnival Victory is the largest ship I've ever been on and it ended up being great. Although the Caribbean Lounge, the main showroom, was always crowded, it was pretty easy to maneuver through the boat. The dining rooms were proficient and the barbecue/pool level was spacious. There were always activities going on (not appropriate for everyone) that kept me and my friends decently busy throughout the cruise.
Embarkation: We arrived pretty early at the port, around 11:00 AM. It wasn't too crowded and everything was organized and efficient. The staff there was very aware of what was going on and directed everyone in an orderly fashion. They started loading the boat starting at 11:30 despite the 2:00 time Carnival gives you. My whole family was on the boat within 20 minutes, including check-in, getting room keys, luggage check, everything. This was one of the smoothest embarkation I have ever experienced out of the 4 other cruises I've been on.
Dining: My family and I traveled with 3 other families and made arrangements so that all of us could be together. There were two tables, one for all of the kids and one for the adults.