My husband and I planned this 18 day excursion for Xmas 2007 with our children(15 & 10) and included an 8 day cruise on Carnival Liberty. It was the first trip we have ever taken them on and also our First Cruise. I used a local travel agent to book the cruise part, but took care of all the rest of the details online myself, and included hotels, car rentals and flights.
We began our journey at the Bestwestern Detroit Metro airport, where the kids enjoyed the pool and hottub, and we enjoyed the hotel bar to celebrate the beginning of our trip. Good value for money here and less stressful than driving in morning as parking was included in the price of the hotel.
We arrived in Port Everglades and spent 3 days at the Sheraton Yankee Clipper. OK, for Sheraton - they should be embarrassed by the age, and general rundown nature of this hotel. Old carpets, dingy restaurants and bars, and a 'smell' which I cannot pinpoint, plague this hotel. I will say the beach and pool areas were very nice and we enjoyed sitting outside during the day. Be sure to take advantage of the big Red busses that pass right outside the hotel and take you either to the shops or farther down the beach for $.50/person.