Tucson John,
I've had my Altamar for almost 4 months and I've had absolutely no problems with the tub. I'm using the Brilliance bromine system (rec. by dealer) which so far has worked well for me. I must admit there is a learning curve dealing with the chemicals, testing etc, but I think any Newbie goes through that with any tub.
The seating capacity says 5-6, but I've found that 3-4 is more realistic for comfort - perfect for 1 or 2 which is how I mainly use mine.
I would say my only "con" I've discovered is the powerful therapy seat. The jets are way powerful and I find I can only sit for a few minutes at a time in that seat and even then I have to kind of brace myself. (I'm 5'6" and 120 lbs.) However, I love the power of the rest of the jets. Also take some time to fool around with the position of the "Intellijets" (whirley) jets for your back in the lounger - it takes a few soaks to get them to where they feel the best.
The Altamar may not be the biggest model out there and may not have all the bells and whistles that others have, but so far I am very impressed (and so are my friends
) with the performance and relative ease of maintenance.
I, too, have learned a lot from this forum. Just keep checking back for answers to specific questions you may have along the way.
Good luck! You are going to love your tub!