Carnival did an excellent job handling our arrival at Ft. Lauderdale Airport. It was fast and very efficient. In fact there was going to be a long wait to get us to our precruise hotel so they sent us (2) on a full size Greyhound. Can't beat that for service.
Hyatt Regency is a fabulous hotel. We stayed in the towers with a balcony view of the port. Lovely pool, super service and beautiful gardens. Saw the Liberty come in the day of embarking. If you walk to the end of pier where restaurant is located you can clearly see the docked Liberty. Only problem with hotel was the cost of food. Most other eating-places are a LONG walk away.
Embarking - Picked up at hotel around 12. There was a Carnival rep in lobby to take care of us until pick up arrived. The line to got through boarding process was super long. It took about 1hr to do. Line moved quickly, but the longest we've ever had. Last year in Europe we boarded in 15 min.