Since I wrote my post, Seabourn has become nonsmoking. .

Before I book a cabin, I always inspect deckplans in an attempt to avoid noise from above, below, and besides my cabin. You can't choose who is in a neighboring cabin, but you can avoid busy/noisy areas. For this reason, I would rather pay more than get a poorly located suite that is assigned to me by a cruise line because others choose to avoid the location.