My husband and I married last year and are both in our 50's. Neither of us had ever gone on a cruise or travel much. We have friends and family that cruise often, however decided to plan primarily based on our own instincts and schedule. The 4 day Western Caribbean cruise offered by Carnival on the Victory was our choice for schedule, itinerary and price. We embarked on Monday 9/4 after spending a few "pre-cruise" days in Miami at the beach and shopping. The embarkation was staggered by pre-selected time and went fairly well; I have nothing else to compare it to however it was organized and simple. Our cabin was on the 8th deck which we chose because of the balcony. It was very clean, large enough for the 2 of us and simply yet well appointed. The biggest dining choice for breakfast, lunch and dinner was the buffet on the Lido deck, which was similar fare daily for breakfast, but changed daily for lunch and dinner. There are also 2 large dining rooms to accommodate those who want a more formal experience. The menus change nightly and you are waited on hand and foot. One night I selected the surf and turf, which we did have to pay extra for, however was worth it. There is tons of entertainment for young and old alike. They have embarkation and disembarkation parties, dance lessons, various singers, bingo, a comedy club, casino, fitness room, several pools and saunas, as well as many wonderful shows. The staff was amazing and the cruise director Felipe Couto was engaging, hysterical ("woohoo") and had a amazing group of talented folks to keep us entertained. Our trip to the Keys was a lot of the typical tourist stuff with shopping and restaurants. Shuttles were provided from the port to the tourist district. Our trip to Cozumel was cut short by about 6 hours due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Irma. We arrived back at Port Miami on Thursday evening the 7th rather than Friday the 8th because the captain wanted to make sure that folks who had an opportunity to catch flights or who lived in the effected areas and needed to prepare for Irma had the chance to do so. Because of the hurricane, the remainder of us who had flights cancelled and no where to go, were offered by Carnival to stay onboard. About a quarter of the folks including my husband and I opted to stay. We were taken toward Cuba and remained there skirting Irma for the next 4 days. There was tons of communication from our cruise director and the captain multiple times throughout letting us know what was going on. The staff was truly amazing from the cabin stewards to the chef staff all the way up to the captain himself. They kept us busy and lent an ear to make sure we were ok. Everything remained just as nice as it had been and it was clearly evident that our well being was first and foremost. On 9/11, there was a moment of silence for the many lives lost with an American flagged draped over the main lobby. There was some repair work being done to the Victory during those 4 days, however it did not impede or effect our ability to maintain a schedule very much similar to the prior portion of the cruise except there were no ports of call, which we understood up front. We were extremely grateful for the care and concern for everyone's safety in a situation where Miami was under mandatory evacuation and many had no where to go. In summary, we are not world travelers therefore perhaps our expectations are plebeian. Regardless, I would not hesitate to recommend Carnival and the staff of the Victory if you are looking for a reasonably priced get-away with people who truly treat you like family, in good times and bad. My husband and I are currently planning our next adventure and it will be on Carnival.