This was my 17th cruise, 14th on RCCL. We have also sailed the two sister ships, the Freedom and Liberty. We are in our 50's and I am a pro musician. We sailed the 8-day Eastern Caribbean route on Jan 24, 2009.
Pre Cruise:
We flew into FLL at night and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express using free points. It was a nice place with free airport shuttle. There are many good restaurants within walking distance, but we were convinced by the staff to try Coco Asian Bistro a couple blocks away. It was fantastic, a truly great meal! We took the shuttle the next day to the ship after picking up some items at the Publix store.
Great location.