I was told the same thing by one of the Fun squad members. This was the first time I have been on an Excel Class ship but I will say I thought the ship itself was beautiful. The huge difference in the way she was laid out from the other Carnival ships had me still confused a time or two when looking for a specific location, but that's a "me" issue, LOL.
RE: # of Priority passengers, we were told 380 diamonds and just over 1100 platinum.