We went with some friends that had already booked this cruise. We did not explore Ft. Lauderdale. We did go to dinner the night before embarkation. The room was very nice. The balcony was a nice size. The ship was big. We prefer smaller ships but we enjoyed Freedom of the Seas. The food was excellent. Our wait staff in the Galileo main dining room table 252, Romero and Rashid were wonderful. They made sure that we did not leave hungry. The stateroom attendant, Sonya, was great. Loved her. Service over all was great. The entertainment was great. We loved the different tours on the ship. We enjoyed all of the ports. All the tour guides were very friendly and very informative of their country. We would go again. We booked another cruise of Freedom of the Seas to different locations. We did not travel with children. Disembarkation went very smooth.