Stayed one night pre-cruise in Ft. Lauderdale at the Best Western Oceanside Inn. It was probably as good as you'll find in F.L. For a 3 star hotel.
I found the ship a bit too large. My cabin was at the front and almost everywhere I had to get to was at the aft. All the walking helped counteract the extra desserts I'm sure. It seemed the best way to get anywhere was from deck 7 which went right across the ship. Many of the decks you could only get so far then had to go up or down to get across. I finally stopped getting lost on the last day.
I loved the Movies under the Stars and the self serve laundry room. The food was good and I managed to get a pool lounger a couple of times even though the hoggers were out in force.
This balcony cabin was near the front of the ship on deck 10 Caribe. It had an extra large balcony which was handy. The twin beds seemed very narrow and were not comfortable at all even with the addition of the egg crate mattress cover. Being at the front of this huge ship made for a lot of walking everyday.