Yeah, the stories are where it's at. It's what the game is all about, the rest is just the glue that ties them all together and gives them some order. Although there are stories going all over the game world and connecting several places, each port has its own very personal style, its own self-contained stories and opportunities. Some are wonderful, some are sad, some are hilarious, some are disturbing, some are gruesome... If I had to qualify the writing overall, I'd say it's... weird and quirky. My favourite thing about it is that it doesn't make the mistake of coming up with an explanation for everything. Some stuff is shown, accepted, but never explained. And that works far better at setting a tone than coming up with a stupid explanation nobody asked for (ex: midi-chlorians).
The travel in-between and the resource-based survival (fuel, supplies and terror) is functional but nothing to write home about. To most players it's just a pain in the **** and stupid downtime. I can sympathise with that, it's true in a way, but to me that downtime sort of sets the mood, at least in Seas. It's ominously dark and quiet and you kinda feel the dread of that world. Skies is far more gentle on the survival mechanics and as a result, the travelling doesn't have that same sense of dread. In both cases, that downtime is a deal breaker for a lot of players, so know what you're getting into.
Overall, despite my personal preference, I'd say Skies is better in every mechanical way with lots of UI tinkering everywhere it was needed, and a far gentler survival experience for new players. The two games are connected (Skies takes place after Seas) but you don't need to have played one to enjoy the other, so you may indeed want to start with Skies if it's the one you're curious about. You'll find out soon enough if it's your thing.
In case you're not too sure about the style, they have a free web browser game called Fallen London, based in the same universe, so maybe you can try that out. I haven't tried it myself, so can't comment on it.
Oh, and if you decide to go ahead, try and go in as blind as possible. A lot of the charm is the first time discovery of those strange places, people and event. More than in any other game, spoilers can completely ruin a lot of the experience.
