Considering Excel rooms already have access to the area, I donโt understand where the justification would be for the advertised price.
OP, the same for our coming Jubilee cruise. Maybe 3 or 4 booked, but a bunch still available. Like others have said, Carnival will sell it for less if they have to, but for anyone needing it before the cruise will pay more. Seems to be the same experience with spa treatments, you are more likely to find a deal with a spa treatment onboard rather than pre-cruise. This seems to be counterintuitive since things like Cheers package are discontinued before the cruise.