Thanks for taking the time to answr my post.
To answer your question: we'll be staying for one night at FLL. The plan is to do some shopping at Sawgrass Mills and visit the city (how original). We'll then fly out to NOLA.
I know that it's hard to find good deals at this time of the year but I remember meeting a Canadian lady who would mention a website offering amazing hotel discounts.
Anyway, thanks for the pieces of advice.