This was my third cruise on Carnival and it was a great vacation. We had much more fun than I even expected! My first two cruises were on the smaller Fantasy-class ships Carnival Ecstasy and Carnival Fascination. I love the Fantasy-class so when I booked the cruise on Carnival Victory I was actually expecting to be a little disappointing thinking that perhaps the increase in size would make the ship more difficult to navigate. After coming off of the ship, though, I'm certainly a fan! The added space is actually quite an improvement over the Fantasy-class. especially, the spacious lido area with an abundance of deck chairs. It was never a problem getting a deck chair! The ship is now 14 years in service but was incredibly clean. It was impressive. I couldn't find a smudge on a shiny surface no matter how hard I looked! There was some wear here and there but really she didn't seem old in any way. In fact, the decor on board, designed by the famous Joe Farcus, was fascinating! There was so much to take in.I loved the bright colors of the South China Casino and varied patterns on the furniture and floors throughout the ship!

Everything wasn't perfect though. I know that Carnival considers itself a family-friendly cruise line but the children were out of control! My girlfriend and I enjoy relaxing in the whirlpools but on our cruise we couldn't find one that wasn't occupied by children who would get in, get out, run around, get back in...It was anything but relaxing. We ended up in the whirlpool in the Serenity area packed in like sardines with other presumably-children-weary cruisers. Later in the cruise, the incredibly fun Caribbean Deck Party was cut short when around midnight, the dance floor was doused by the sudden appearance of 10 or 12 seven to thirteen year-olds running around. The dance floor cleared by the end of the song. I understand the need to be family-friendly but I just wish that the kids didn't run the show. They did on this cruise.

All on all, though, it was still worth every penny! We had great time at an affordable price!