We flew from Philadelphia to Ft. Lauderdale the night before the cruise. After a few hours delay on southwest we finally arrived at the airport at about 10:30 pm. We had reservations at the Ramada Inn near the airport. The shuttle picked us up after a 25-minute wait. The hotel reminded me of a Jersey shore motel. However, we were just sleeping there so it was fine. Buffet breakfast was included in the price. It was substantial and good.
I previously arranged for a van to pick up my family, (a party of 6). I used A-port shuttle. They charged me $16 pp. The hotel has a shuttle to the pier at $15 pp. However, we were on a comfortable van and zipped right to the pier. A-port also picked us up after the cruise to take us back to the airport.
We got to the cruise terminal at about 12 noon and proceeded to wait in a long line to go through x ray machines and to hand in our paper work. When we finally boarded the ship at about 1:20pm we were able to go right to our room. We booked a min-suite for 2 adults and our 2 teens. My parents were on the same floor but in an inside room. The min-suite was lovely. It had a big closet and lots of drawers. Plenty of storage space for 4 people. We had a balcony and a nice sized bathroom. The room was not large. When all 4 of us were in the room with both beds out there was no walking space. However, when the curtain between both beds was closed there was total privacy. I could read or get dressed and not wake my kids. Another positive was the bed was very, very comfortable. I have not slept that well in years! However, the kid's bed reportedly was much too firm. However, they still managed to sleep well.