Can I get an all inclusive cruise to europe from the U.S. over the Christmas holidays 4 around $2000 a person?
Question by thememphians: Can I get an all inclusive cruise to europe from the U.S. over the Christmas holidays 4 around 00 a person?
Or even a trip there, doesn’t have to be a cruise. I’d actually not prefer a cruise, but it doesn’t matter. Whatever’s the cheapest! I’m a teacher and don’t make any money! 
Speaking of that, are there any teacher discounts?
Best answer:
Answer by Michael B
You are traveling during peak time on what is usually a very expensive trip. I think you will need to reevaluate your budget. Check with AAA to see what kinds of deals they might have, a cruise might not be realistic, because they are all inclusive, and that gets expensive.
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Minimum cost for a trip to Europe:
Daily budget (survival level) is around 50 EUR per person, this splits up like this:
15-30 EUR for a bed in a hostel dormitory
5-15 EUR for food from the supermarket and snack stalls
Rest of the money for sights and activities and for transport like a day pass for public transport or to get from A to B.
You therefore need around 600 USD for spending a week in one big European city, not including airfare. That is survival level, just enough money that you don’t have to sleep on a park bench or beg for food. If you want London or Paris or travelling around to see more than one city you need to add 25 % to that.
Your budget of 2000 USD for a trip to Europe is thus only realistic if you go in off-season (Feb-April, flights are the cheapest then) and are willing to do the backpacking thing, staying at hostels or couchsurfing and eating food from the supermarket.
It is utterly unrealistic to look for an all-inclusive cruise or package deal with that budget during any season. River cruises and bus tours around Europe start at around 2000 USD and to this price tag comes the additional cost of airfare. (Think another 1000 USD.) See: http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/us/cruises/DD/08PASVIE07/VEE/datesprices.aspx
FYI, I did a similar tour cycling along the Danube from Passau to Bratislava last week. I had my tent with me and I paid about 350 EUR (560 USD) for the whole 10-day trip.
If you do want to go with a tour and are absolutely against organising everything yourself, look at Contiki, Rick Steves and Busabout. Personally I would organise everything myself (especially with a budget like yours), using guidebooks like Let’s Go, Lonely Planet or Rough Guide. Go to amazon.com and check out whether there isn’t somebody selling his or her used guidebook from these companies.