I have only sailed with Carnival and I have been on a mixture of the older and newer boats. I have never been disappointed with any of my sailings and I hope this remains true with this upcoming sailing. I started cruising in 2014 and fell in love with it immediately.
This was supposed to be my first solo cruise, but I have actually just booked a quick getaway in August (yay!) with Carnival so it will be my second solo cruise but still my first cruise out of a NY port and during the winter. I was a little apprehensive about leaving out of NY in the winter because I know how bad the winters can be, but the prospect of being in warmer weather-even for a few days-had me sold!
FSCHAUER- it's funny you had the worst cruise with the Carnival Victory as that was my first sailing a year earlier than your experience and that cruise is the reason why I am still cruising today! But hopefully the Venezia is a better sailing for you!