Actually, before I posted my question, I searched the forum looking an answer, knowing that others must have gone through the upgrade process, and to learn of their experience. Since some experiences were not exactly positive, I decided to put it out there.
After waiting for a month for any type of reply, and reading more forum posts, I decided to go ahead. In the meantime, no one else chimed in with either a positive or negative experience, which is why I posted my own reply to my original question, in the hopes that someone else could be re-assured that the process works.
I seldom require assistance, which is why I have very few posts on the forum. Not that I am a 'noob'.