Actually yes and no. We did book a room in the lower area of the ship, which we knew would be an inside cabin. Our TA gave us the figures, and "mistakenly" quoted a higher deck than what we had ask for. When I questioned her about this mistake, it turned out that it was "only" $20 more to go higher from the 3rd or 4th deck, so that is why we did.
f-mattox, actually it really didn't matter where the room was located, as we knew it would be an inside cabin. We don't stay in there that long, so it really doesn't make that much difference to us.
You are going to really enjoy this beautiful ship. Sailed her in Feb, 05 and she was a beauty. Location should matter only in so much as knowing which parts of the ship you will use the most. It will save a great deal of walking time. For us we usually prefer aft of midship as the dining facilities are usually in the rear of the ship along with the childrens clubs. However, if the casino and showroom is where you will spend most of your time than forward of aft would be the preference.