My mother and I sailed on the Emerald Princess out of FLL with stops in Costa Maya and Cozumel, two days at sea. I've sailed on a lot of different cruise lines and this was my seventh Princess cruise, first time on this ship.
We flew into FLL the previous night and stayed at the Embassy Suites on 17th Street. I filed a TripAdvisor review for this hotel. I would highly recommend. Manager's cocktail reception 530-7:30p, complimentary breakfast buffet 6a-9a M-F (7-10a weekends), short walk to a Publix for any items you might need and a $9 shuttle to the port. Oh, and a beautiful pool. All the rooms are two-room suites.
Onboard, we had Cabin C612, balcony cabin on port side of the ship. Very spacious and comfortable cabin. Had a minifridge but it mostly needed the ice, supplied by the steward, daily to help keep items cool.
Very spacious. Large closet area separated from rest of the room and helps to separate bathroom from the bedroom for more privacy. One of the smallest showers I've ever encountered on a ship, though. Cabin location was quiet and no unusual shipboard noise disruptions.
Did disembark to run on the pier. My mother did go into the village in Costa Maya. There are shops there and a pool with a swim-up bar. Wear your bathing suit. There's a beach right at the end of the pier but there is a charge to use it.
We had a tour booked but it was rained out. Our ship docked at the pier with the shops and duty-free store that you walk through when getting on and off the ship. Once through that duty-free, there are shops right there. Walk to the thatched roof area where the taxis are. If you turn left and walk down the main street, a very short distance is the Hard Rock Café.