I sailed the Carnival Victory 12/30 - 1/6/2008. Even though the weather was bad most of the trip, I still had a blast! Remember, a cruise is what you make it. This was also my second cruise with Carnival.

Prior to embarkation, my friend and I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Coral Gables. We were able to book the room through an internet agency for $139 per night, which was an excellent deal! The hotel property was beautiful and the service was great. After checking in the hotel, we hung out on south beach and people watched. We had a great time in Miami! The only drawback was that the hotel was right in the middle of the parade for the orange bowl. The officers that were working were very nice though (and quite a few of them were cute)! Okay okay, back on topic...

Embarkation was fairly smooth. Upon arriving to the cruise terminal (which is very nice), you are assigned a zone number and allowed to board by zone. We were on the ship by 1:30, having lunch and free champagne (excellent!) after arriving at the cruise terminal at 12:30. Read more