I edit a newsletter for the Friends of the Library and am a huge fan of Pages '08. Just received '09 (installed it 30 minutes ago), which I fully expect is going to be even more f-u-n. That's right, it's genuinely fun to use.
I get submissions in Word, via e-mail, regularly. They worked into Pages '08 without a sneeze.
I can't say I've ever tried Excel––>Numbers, since I'm a die hard FileMaker fan . . . for nearly 20 years.
I suggest waiting to see if other TeeEssers have experience w/Excel, plus check with your Apple Store. The "literature" sez "no problem"
Even at the Apple Store price, the Box Set is a tremendous bargain. You'll pay around 10 bucks for a retail disk of Leopard, over the list prices of the two suites.
Suchadeal