Going there w/ a buddie in Febuary, have tickets and place to stay for two weeks, so thats taken care of. Not really worried about the $$, but have been hearing reports about the crime, and the lack in number of working girls to the number of mongers in town for Carnival makes the selection scares. Is this true? Also the way people are talking about the crime during Carnival, I feel like I'm going to get robbed for sure.!! Can someone who has been there before @ time of Carnival please give me a little insite, I want to go for a good time but its not worth getting mugged and robbed for it, maybe I should postpone the trip? Rookie in Rio looking for some vet support.

it is good to be streetwise, or to listen to advice. If you do, then you can be reasonably safe. I don't think crime is worse during carnival, just more victims.

Prices sure are higher, the girls I know are hard to find during that period. I believe overpriced Help girls are available for double the normal money. But I am not the Help Specialist, so listen to other people's opinion

I don't see things from the tourist perspective, I just know what friends and guests tell me.

I don't think you get robbed, just calculate double price for everything compared with a few weeks later.

Still, lots of people enjoy the carnival circus.

I don't think I was paying double for Help girls last year at Carnaval. $100 US or so. I had several. The one garota I knew from past trips was the usual price, and a new non-Help girl was a little higher than expected, but that was mostly due to her flakiness and not providing all the services we agreed on (I believe in paying rather than arguing).

Anyway, just negotiate. If a garota that turns you on wants $200 (US, they usually quote prices to us Americans in USD), move on. There are plenty more. Keep trying until you find an attractive one who'll take R$200 or R$250. And attitude is 90%, looks count for less--some of the most attractive ones are so stuck up with their beauty they do not give good service.