We just returned from our February 8 cruise on the Carnival Victory. Here are the highlights:

We arrived a day early in Miami and stayed at the JW Marriott downtown. That was very nice, we had a morning flight and our room was ready in about an hour after our arrival at 10:30 AM. We spent a nice evening at the Bayside Marketplace, having dinner at Bubba Gumps and visiting both locations of "Let's Make a Daiquiri."

Next day we headed to the port about 10 AM. When we arrived we were taken through security and up to the Captain's Lounge to wait for the ship opening, which was quick at about 11 AM. FYI: We did not receive an email suggesting arrival after 1 PM. We were the second couple on the ship as the two guys behind us elected to forego the picture! Read more