Carnival Victory w/ kids

We may be sailing on the Victory with children in a wide age-range. We're a little nervous about trying out an older, smaller ship and all have some questions.

(1) I know there's a very shallow kiddie pool. Can I take (fully potty trained!) DD there myself, or does she have to go with Camp Carnival? Can she bring a couple small bath toys or are no objects allowed? Is there a max age limit if an older sibling wants to sit in the pool with her and it's not crowded with little ones?

(2) Has anyone traveled with older kids and seen an area they tend to hang out -- mini golf maybe? DS had an awesome time on the Magic because he was able to make friends on the sports deck. Camp Carnival made him nervous and he's more nervous about being in Circle C now. How spread out are the mini-golf, ping pong, shuffleboard, giant chess, and waterslide areas?

(3) Is the aft pool/hot tub adult-only or not, especially with the addition of a separate Serenity deck for adults? I don't want to break the rules, but the kids will be back there a lot getting food.

(4) Food -- Is it the new pizza? DS didn't like it, so he's hoping not, but have all the ships changed over now? Also, he wants to know if there are hot dogs 24/7. [The best part of cruising for a twelve-year-old boy is endless food.]

(5) Any advice/info about the shows? We like variety more than song and dance. I read something about a juggler?