email me and I'll help.
There are lots of strategies to help. The EFD shuffle is nice but can add a fair amount of time to your trip and you cannot rent a car at EFD. I think if you have a car, you can easily get around and see a little more of the city and stay somewhere other than the Lancaster. It is nice but the construction can get noisy.
Don't forget. If you get go with CO and get comped, you can still "connect" on CO between EWR and IAH. The fare basis allows you to connect in DFW, ATL, ORD, MEM, DTW, CLE, I think even BNA. Check the fare rules that way you can increase your segments.
BSL