Linda,
If you liked Zenith (and I do, too), you're going to be blown away by Constellation. It is my favorite ship.
You asked about balconies versus ocean view rooms. Boy, there are as many opinions about whether a balcony is worth the extra $$$ as there are cruisers. Personally, I love a balcony and use it for morning coffee, sunsets, quiet time before dinner while my dear wife continues primping, etc. On your particular cruise, you have a 50 / 50 chance in October that it may be a little too cool on your first day out of Bayonne for much use of the balcony. Ditto your last day. Otherwise, the weather in the Caribbean in October will be delightfully warm and a balcony will be useful, in my opinion. Again, though, many others may think them not worth the price.
The only advice I would give you about which deck and/or location, is that I would not want a balcony on the Sky deck which is directly under the pool, buffet, spa, etc. In short, you could have morning noise, late night noise, and mid-day noise from above. I find the Penthouse deck to be my favorite. It has balconies that are the furtherest from the noise, and the rooms are just one deck away from the dining room, theater, shops, AND MY PERSONAL FAVORITE -- the martini bar.
Enjoy your cruise.
Ted
