Our family (mom, dad, 16, 13, 9 yr old boys) just returned from the Carnival Victory 7/31/11-8/7/11 and had an amazing time. This was our first Carnival cruise (before this we regularly cruised RCCL and DCL) and we were pleasantly surprised! Don't have time to write a super detailed review (so backed up at work) but I did want to share some of the highlights.... especially from the perspective of an avid RCCL/DCL cruiser.

Rooms - We had two aft extended balconies - wonderful! The balcony divider opened up so even though our rooms were not adjoining on the inside, they were on the outside. We will remember this trick next time when we can't get adjoining cabins. Unfortunately, the captain always went straight into the ports though so we didn't get the best views until leaving the ports. We did enjoy sailing away in the afternoons though because the captain would turn around the ship to get out. Our room steward's name was Dewah and he was fantastic. Definitely one of the best we have ever had.

Ports - We planned multiple off-ship excursions with the exception of St. Maarten (we did the Tiki Snorkel Hut with the cruise line). We went on "Forever Young" in St. Thomas (lovely sailboat & snorkeling trip to St Johns) - no other guests except our family so it was a very special day. Larry and Betty took us snorkeling and then to a beach on St. Johns. Beach was amazing- almost deserted. Incredible experience. Larry also let my 13 year old take the helm for a little while which thrilled him. Food very tasty. Drinks were sodas, water, powerade and beer. Weather was mostly good despite Emily coming our way. Read more