I always spend a lot of time going over deck plans on a cruise ship before I choose a cabin. I once had a cabin directly below the drum set in a nightclub. The roof of my cabin moved every time the drummer hit the bass with the foot pedal. While this was horrible, it turned out well as after a polite complaint, I was upgraded at no charge to a double suite!
Most won’t be that lucky however.
Another thing to watch out for when checking deck plans are white areas. These are not accessible to passengers but they could be a noisy area used by the crew. Perhaps the white area is a kitchen, or laundry or housekeeping. I always avoid white areas above my room unless I know what that area is used for by the crew.
Many cruisers avoid being under the deck near the pools. However, I’ve stayed in cabins in this location and did not have any issues.
A final tip is to avoid being close to the elevators. Crowds gather there while waiting and it sometimes get loud.