We had very good luck walking by when the desk was staffed on the second day of the cruise. The kids were in the clubs. Danielle was at the desk. There was no line.
AFAIK, everyone gets the same "deal" (although we didn't even attempt to negotiate), so other than being efficient, that's about it.
You will want to have some idea of the dates at category (and perhaps cabin) you'd like to book - although you get the discount if you move it, so its acceptable to "book anything"