We've also done both, and agree that destination matters. We used our balcony a lot on our Med (Greece and Italy) sailing and in Norway, and were glad that we had the space. That said, we've found that the stateroom attendants on Deck 7 seem to be just a little more attentive than on a different deck aft. Not that we've ever gotten bad service on Holland; the crew is amazing. It just seems that the teams handling the suite deck are a little more relaxed and available.