We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Fort Lauderdale. Although this hotel is not near a beach or major shopping areas, the convenience was worth it. The hotel offers free shuttle from the airport to the hotel for the fee of tipping the driver. In addition, the hotel suggests restaurants to eat at and will offer you a free shuttle to and from restaurant. We ate at Rendezvous which was on the water. It cost the three of us $100 to eat there for dinner. It was okay. The hotel itself had nice sized rooms and a free hot breakfast buffet in the morning. The shuttle also took us to the cruise ship for free - again we just tipped the driver. The convenience of having a free shuttle and a hot breakfast was worth staying there before and after the cruise.
We arrived to the cruise ship around 11:30 a.m. and by noon we were on the ship but had no access to our rooms or luggage until 2:00 p.m. Bring a bathing suit for hanging around the pool that you can change into while you wait for the cabins to be ready. The windjammer was opened and we began our first buffet on the Seas of Enchantment. The buffet had many different selections - you could eat healthy or not so healthy. I was disappointed with the oranges and grapes but the rest of the food was very good.
Our cabin was on the 2nd level and we had three of us sharing one cabin. I am five feet tall so the cabin and beds were great for me. I found them roomy but I can't imagine anyone taller or bigger than me using the bathroom or shower stall - the shower is so small you can't turn around.