This was my girlfriend's first cruise ever, and my third. I was a little concerned about the ship being scheduled to go into drydock in just a few months, but the ship did not seem to be in disrepair or having maintenance problems. On the first day in the promenade hallway near the casino, we noticed some water dripping from the ceiling. We let security know and apparently it was fixed quickly as we went through that area several times and never saw the problem again. Other than that, no maintenance issues.
Service: There was one employee (an assistant manager) in Pixels photos who didn't seem to know the difference between a 4x6 and a 5x7. And kinda insulted my intelligence. Other than that the staff gets high praise all around. Our room steward was Marhar and he did wonderful. Every time we asked for something he had it back to us within a minute. The dining room staff was great and bar staff ranged from ok to great as well. No complaints there. Another thing about Pixels photos: Beware of any "free prints with a purchase of X" deals. The prints they give you are random pics of the ship, not your funpix photos. I found that very misleading. Not using this as a negative mark against the Victory because I'm sure Carnival does this on all of their ships. But just a word of caution.
Food: This is highly subjective but after a dozen or so meals in the dining room on carnival cruises, I have yet to have a meal that I would classify as bad. This cruise was no exception. My girlfriend and I both enjoyed the dining room food. Some of the buffet food is so-so, as to be expected on any Carnival cruise. Just have to know what to look for and what to skip. I finally tried the breakfast omelettes for the first time and now I know what everyone is raving about. They are awesome. Guy's burgers were as good as ever. Pizza is still okay.
Interior mid. Was just fine. Two decks beneath lido and two decks above promenade. Close to everything.