Dpalm,
I have never been on a flat top, but I can vouch that people I have served with who did both the carier thing and the sub thing said quality of life is much better on a carier. Cariers have email, and phones(mind you they are expensive to use, and not always available but still there). Subs have "email" but I will say that if in an operational area a sub won't get email, and most of the time a sub is in an operational area. So, you get your email on the way into port. No phones either. Unless you are on a missle boat, things are a very tight fit on a fast attack sub. Space is as valuable as fresh water. As for comraderie, it was always very close, especially in those situations we can't talk about when it hits the fan. As far as the bonus, I believe on a sub once qulified ENG, you get a thirty thousand dollar bonus and a ten K once a year WHILE ON A SUB.
In many respects being on a sub can be horrible. If you are even mildly disliked by your peers and subordinates, they will make every moment pure hell, and there is nowhere to go. You are stuck in all 360 feet of it. Chances are they will treat you this way to make you a better person.