Fall '14 - NCL Jewel vs RC Navigator

[The Mister]

I posted this in the Family Cruises section and have gotten crickets thus far. I thought I'd post it here and see what people think. Yes, I'm aware that posting here could give universal "RCI or nothing!" type responses, but really I'm just wondering if the price difference makes it worth going to NCL. Only been on one cruise (see below), so I'm not loyal to any line.

Well, my wife and I were thinking of waiting for the rest of 2015's sailings to be made public, and book something in late spring or fall of that year, but the sale prices right now (particularly with the kids sail free specials that both lines are running) are really nice for the late-fall '14 dates!

 

Itineraries from Houston / Galveston are basically identical (Coz+Bel+Roa, though NCL has a few featuring Banana Coast).

 

I can book an OV on the NCL Jewel for as little as $1,100 base price.

I can book an OV on the RC Navigator for as little as $1,448 base price.

 

Port fees are about the same, and tips are about the same.

 

Our kids would be 9 (boy) and 4 (girl), and our 9yo is high-functioning autistic.

 

Questions:

 

(1) Both lines have well-regarded children's programs, right? Is there anything that would put one ship's program over the other's? We are aware that Royal would be top-of-the-line for special services for our son, (per their recent certification with Autism on the Seas), but we are also under the impression that Norwegian should do fine as well.

 

(2) Both lines will find ways to nickel and dime us, I assume. Is one line worse about that than others? I am aware that NCL charges for their children's program on port days, but I'm thinking at $8/hr for two siblings, that won't exceed $100 for the trip (less than the $350 difference in price). Anything else I should take into account?

 

(3) Is one ship better than the other in other ways? Both have pools, but the Jewel has a water slide. The Navigator has rock-climbing (and now the FlowRider). All things considered, which ship is best suited for our kids outside the kids' program itself?

 

(4) What, if anything, would make the Navigator worth the extra $350 for the week? What about the Jewel, other than price, would make it a no-brainer?

 

(5) Anything else I should consider?

 

Thanks,

The Mister

One other thing I thought of:

(6) The least expensive for the RC Navigator shares Roatan with three ships, Belize with two, and Cozumel with five (one of the five being the Allure). The itinerary for the NCL Jewel would share Cozumel with one ship and Belize + Trujillo with none.

 

I mean, the Navigator *might* be the better ship, but with the more crowded itinerary. With three sea days, we just don't want either the kids or us to be bored AND stuck. On our first cruise (see below), thankfully we only had two sea days, because other than the kids' club, Carnival just doesn't have the kinds of activities that we enjoy. Hopefully, either RC or NCL don't have the same problem.

 

Does all this make sense?

Edited March 6, 2014 by The Mister