A bit of background: This was our first cruise since having our son, now almost 2 1/2. Both my husband and I have cruised before on Carnival, but never the Victory. We knew that this would be a different type of cruise: less drinking, more family time! It was a wonderful cruise with the most amazing staff.

Hotel in Miami: We stayed at the Holiday Inn at Port of Miami. It is an older hotel, but updated. For $150 for the night, it was a bargain to be that close to the port and the Bayside restaurants/shopping. The staff went over and above and upgraded us to a suite because our room was still be cleaned upon arriving to the hotel. The pool was nice, but small. Parking was out back, but a small lot if that fills up quickly. It took a total of 10 minutes from the parking lot to dropping off our bags at the porters in port.

Carnival Victory: Although this ship is older and does not have many of the "bells and whistles" like a steak house, 2.0 upgrades, etc. that some of the other ships have, it is very nice. There was plenty to do and live music both on the Lido deck by the pool and within the promenade/casino area. With thousands of people aboard, you would think that you would feel crowded, but you never do. There were many times that we felt as though this was a private cruise and we were the only ones onboard! Read more