We asked leading travel agents who specialize in cruises to single out the rooms that offer the best value on specific ships. These cabins won't suit everybody, but they do represent the vast range of staterooms available and will give you the most bang for your buck.

We asked leading travel agents who specialize in cruises to single out the rooms that offer the best value on specific ships. These cabins won't suit everybody, but they do represent the vast range of staterooms available and will give you the most bang for your buck.

Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Destiny, Carnival Triumph, Carnival Victory
"The midship balcony rooms on Deck 6 are only one floor above the main drag of bars, shops, clubs, and the casino, but you won't be bothered by noise from below. These are less expensive than identical rooms in less desirable fore and aft locations on higher decks." —Kim Gibbons, Cruise Dreams, Greenwood, Mo. (877-999-4533)

Celebrity Cruises
Constellation, Infinity, Millennium, Summit
"Of the least expensive veranda staterooms, 6048 and 6053 have the largest balconies, thanks to a widening in the hull. Cabins 8170, 8172, 8176, and 8185, running along the stern on the Panorama Deck, also have larger balconies than other cabins in their category and offer sweeping views off the back of the ship." —Christy Buchheit, The Travel Company, St. Louis (877-200-4722)

Clipper Cruise Line
Nantucket Clipper, Yorktown Clipper
"I prefer category 2 Lounge Deck cabins that provide immediate access to an aft deck [L38 to L41 on the Nantucket Clipper, L43 to L48 on the Yorktown Clipper]. Few other passengers ever discover this public area, so it becomes your own semiprivate veranda." —Ed Kirk, TravLtips, Flushing, N.Y. (800-872-8584)

Cruise West
Spirit of Oceanus
"On a small expedition ship like this, it's important to have a balcony so you can get outside quickly to see marine life. For about an extra $100 per person per day, suites 505 to 512 on the Sports Deck give you a private balcony, a walk-in closet, and 27 extra square feet of space." —Susan White, Liberty Travel, Doylestown, Pa. (215-489-0994)

Crystal Cruises
Crystal Harmony
"Cabins 7126 and 7127 offer whirlpool baths and 102 more square feet than other staterooms in the same category. There's no veranda, but the stairs just outside your door lead to a deck area which is so seldom used that it's practically private. Also, balconies off cabins 9106 to 9117, 8001 to 8015, 8124, and 8126 to 8137 measure 73 square feet rather than the usual 48." —Leslie Fambrini, Personalized Travel Consultants, Los Altos, Calif. (650-949-0111)

Crystal Serenity
"Cabins 10001 through 10017, and 10108 through 10125, give you the amenities (but not the spaciousness) of a penthouse room—a butler and a complimentary stocked bar—at a lower price. They also have larger balconies than others in the same category. By choosing these cabins, you can save about $3,000 per person on a two-week European cruise." —Mary Jean Tully, The Cruise Professionals, Toronto (800-265-3838)