Thanks again for the encouragement from everyone!
Yeah, I pretty much see the deck 2 reference as being dignitaries' staterooms. I would guest that Kirk had Uhura sent the turbolift down to the loop in a holding pattern so that a room could be prepared by the time she got there. Plus there isn't a lot of places to go on deck 2, so there wouldn't really be much of a point for Spock to walk her all the way to the room, specially if her escort would have been waiting for her anyways.