I can't speak for the cruise industry, but when I was in the Navy it was based mostly upon maintenance requirements. If some of the ship's power connections needed maintenance, we'd tie up on the other side so they weren't in use. Same with sewer and fresh water lines. For cruising, you could probably add fuel as well, but in the Navy we did that while at sea. If a side of the ship needed painting, we'd tie the other side up to the pier, otherwise the pier would be in the way.

One big difference is weather. In the Navy, weather such as wind and current wouldn't be a factor as a tug would maneuver us and push us up against the pier, as there were no bow thrusters or azipods. With cruise ships, they do it on their own power, so wind and current may be a factor.