I'm about 10 months late getting my review in, but since I will be sailing on the Freedom again in 2 months I thought I would boost morale a bit. Being a writer, I naturally took about 20 pages of notes so that is how I'm able to remember all of this for the review.
To start off, I made about 40 friends through Cruise Critic (AND another social media site) and we got to know each other for 2 months prior to the cruise. I highly suggest this because then you have plenty of friends to have a great time with and create lasting memories. Most of us booked the same excursions and hotel in FLL.
We arrived in FLL the day before and stayed at the Cambria Suites. Wonderful experience! Clean and polite staff. My mom, sister, and I also headed over to the Hard Rock in a cab to catch a comedy show. The next morning we had breakfast in the little hotel dining room and then took the FREE shuttle to the port. Easy experience and the rates are reasonable.
Our cabin was spacious enough for 3 adults to share. The bathroom was always clean and in working order.