Here's how it went for me:
Vanilla SSP = 600 hours of entertainment.
Creative mode = 100 hours.
Modded SSP = IT'S LIKE A WHOLE NEW GAME +600 HOURS.
Hopefully you will be as prosperous, brother.
it was different for me, although I haven't played since the introduction of not-separate Creative (not that I don't want to)
vanilla was okay, but really I didn't get much more than a couple of days that way
but SPC made it much more enjoyable in every way, and I have been able to play many hours of it
that's why I think I will like Creative; I've never been much for survival, but I thoroughly enjoy building
I'm not particularly good at it, but who cares? it's fun