Reflectors have better optical performance at any given aperture for the money spent.

Refractors require less maintenance and are more portable and convenient to use, and are pretty much maintenance and adjustment free.

I got rid of my reflector when I moved to the city, with its light pollution problems. I have to drive for an hour into the 'Glades to get a really dark sky, And for deep-sky observing, that is the single most important criterion: dark skies, to maximize that image contrast parameter.

A 6" Dob is an excellent all-around scope, plenty of performance and flexibility, even if you have ambitions to go for something bigger later.

A lot of folks swear by Schmidt-Cassegrains, a combination of the two. I've never owned one, but I think RobVG has one for sale!

Venus is always a featureless white disk or crescent, although some people claim they can see detail in the cloud tops by using exotic filters. Mars is a difficult target, but we can look forward to the May opposition this year (dist = 0.5 AU) or even better, the next two oppositions, Jul 2018 (0.38 AU) and Oct 2020 (0.41 AU). These are particularly good oppositions, because Earth is near aphelion and Mars is near perihelion. At opposition, a planet rises at sunset, transits at midnight, and sets at sunrise, so its visible all night. You may be able to see some good detail on the surface, at very high power.

Saturn is in opposition in June, although it is so far away the orbital geometry isn't as critical to getting a good view as it is with Mars. You should be able to get a good look at it now, if you live far enough south and have a low enough horizon to pick it up. It's about 21 degrees S of the Equator. Look for its bright moon Titan, its easy in my 4".

I envy you your first good look at Saturn. In any telescope, it looks better than in any coffee-table book photograph. It will blow you away. Send us a full report.