My girlfriend and I have just returned from a cruise on the Carnival Victory. I thought I would write a review because this is actually our second time taking the same cruise (we even got the same stateroom as before), and I can compare some of the different shore excursions on the islands, and comment on which ones we preferred. First of all, we wouldn't have taken this cruise a second time if we didn't thoroughly enjoy it the first time around. Also, we felt as if there were more things to explore on the islands in the itenerary than we were able to accomplish in our first sailing.

With that being said, the Carnival Victory sails from the port of San Juan, Puerto Rico (also taking on passengers in Barbados). If you have a few days, I would highly recommend exploring Old San Juan. This is a very interesting city to walk around - especially if you have any interest in history. There are forts, museums, churches, sculptures, architecture, music, excellent food and drink, and very friendly and helpful locals...bottom line: lots to see and do in this port.

So, on to the ship...Between the time we first sailed and now, it has supposedly been dry-docked for some refurbishing. New things we noticed included the adults-only Serenity area, which has two whirlpools, a bar, and lots of comfy seating, and a re-sodded miniature golf deck. Other than that, I'm not sure what improvements were made. The gym/spa and Lido (buffet) areas look the same, as do the Seven Seas lounge area, and Triton/Siren pool deck areas. Everything is well-maintained and continuously and perpetually cleaned by the ship's crew. Read more