Pre-Cruise Tour

We had booked our own flights and had not received anything from Princess with regard to the pre-cruise tour - no transfer tickets, no hotel vouchers, nothing. However, we needn't have worried. We were met at the airport and given a private transfer to the hotel. When I told reception at the hotel that we were with Princess, they said the rest of the group was checking in later but they would check us in now. As soon as we got to our room, our guide called and asked to meet us to go over the itinerary for the next few days. We were in good hands. There were 54 people (2 buses) on the pre-cruise tour.

The hotel in Rio was fine, with an OK but not spectacular buffet breakfast. Dinner was expensive but if you ordered a sandwich at the cafe by the pool and said two people were splitting it, they put it on two plates with two batches of French fries. Unlike some people on other websites, we had no issues with the hotel or the staff. Some people would consider the waves on the beach unsafe for swimming, and don't plan on walking downtown from this hotel. Read more