Similar to checking in for a flight, a few days before the cruise, I went through a check-in process that had a handful of forms and agreements passengers needed to fill out.
One form included accepting a "COVID-19 risk," where passengers acknowledged that they could come in contact with COVID-19. Another form had me state whether or not I would be fully vaccinated by the ship's departure date.
For its vaccinated cruises, Carnival requires 95% of passengers on each ship to be vaccinated. Passengers with approved exemptions and children under 12 will make up 5% of unvaccinated passengers.
According to Carnival Cruise's website, there is an application process for unvaccinated guests, and the cruise line does not guarantee there will be room on the ship for all the guests exempted from being vaccinated against COVID-19.
Once I completed my forms, I selected the arrival time window between 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. One of the things that surprised me the most about my cruise experience was that I'd be boarding the ship hours before it was scheduled to set sail at 4 p.m.
After my time was selected, I was all set for the cruise.