are staterooms on the higher decks better, if it is a balcony room?

Not necessarily, IMO. We cruise a lot and usually get a balcony. We've had good and bad as far as decks are concerned. I like to select a deck that is mid-ship or even aft is nice and deck 8, 9, or 10. We have been on deck 15 and pool area was right above us, chairs banging, moving furniture all night long. We did a transatlantic 2 yrs ago and were again on Deck 15 w/ food deck above us. We were doing a transatlantic and we had a bad storm w/ very high seas so were rocking and rolling in our cabin. It also depends upon your itinerary, doing a Caribbean cruise would be ok on higher decks. Typically, I would avoid higher and go lower if on a transatlantic or even Mediterranean (we've had rough seas on Med cruises).

There's no right formula, just luck, good weather, etc. My DH and I do not usually get seasick so that is another factor to consider. If you are prone to seasickness I would select mid-ship and lower decks.

Hope this helps.

Also if you can check things like the placement of lifeboats, struts, etc. which might block the view aft or forward.

Unless you have motion sickness problem, the key things to look for in a cabin is avoid certain things:
- close proximity to public doors / doorways
- deck above or below public areas, especially area with high volume of noise such as night club, casino, theater, pool etc.
Note: our last cruise has a cabin below the spa, which is a public area but noise is not an issue there.
- if it is an inside cabin, avoid close proximity to the smoke stack (that obvious big hole in the middle of the deck plan)

For motion sickness, the lower and closer to mid ship the better.

For trans Atlantic or Caribbean cruises not inside the Caribbean Sea or Western Mediterranean cruise where high wave may be an issue, avoid front of the ship, any deck.

I concur with what has been said.
Because DH has a tendency towards motion sickness, we try to pick a cabin low and midships; higher would definitely not be better for him.
I like to look at the deck plan and chose a deck with cabins (not public areas) above and below, due to noise.

One thing that I should also mention is that when the ship rocks sideways, it is not because of the wave but because of the cross wind. The higher you are, the more you will feel the effect of the wind.

Better for what? The rooms are approx. the same, you can open the balcony door and sit outside. You can't open a window.

If you buy an assigned cabin (not a guarantee) check what is above and below, or the room may be noisy.

all great responses. Thanks so much