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but this is such a good site that i feel almost comfortable in asking anything that bugs me before deciding on a scope.
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That's great to hear! You should feel comfortable! Keep asking questions! No question is too silly, and there's heaps of people here willing to help you out.
The 12" is great for light gathering, and will show more faint detail. But as you correct assume, there is a trade-off with respect to cool-down time.
Where abouts do you live? If you live where there are large temperature differences between day and night, then even a fan will not bring the mirror near ambient by the time you want to observe. That will be more evident in the 12".
However when the seeing is good, and temperatures are fairly stable, then you'll get fantastic images from a 12".