Pros and cons!
 
If you can get 'em and if you can afford 'em and can rely on a good
product from the supplier, you're always better off gettin' nucs than
package bees.  A nuc gets you anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks head start
over packages.  So even if you have to wait a month longer for a nuc than
a package, you're still ahead of the game.  However, for first timers,
packages may be better from a learning curve point of view.  A package
affords you the opportunity to learn from a smaller, slower teaching
population.
 
Best bet (and one not available to newbies) is early splits from
established hives - only costs the price of a queen vs nuc or package.
But that'll be next year.  The beekeepers' motto - there's always next
year!
 
Aaron Morris - I think, therefore I bee!