Dark Age of Camelot vs. WoWFollow

I've been playing WoW for over 13 months now and think I need a taste for something else. Although I like the antics, verbal emotes, etc., I am having a hard time finding a good Guild and think the graphics are slightly on the "cartoonish" side. Don't get me wrong, I really like it, but maybe want to try something else that is not WoW. I also feel, if I played a less "cartoonish" game, I may be actually playing with more mature players and not a bunch of younger kids, i.e. 9-17 in age.

I have a copy of DAoC, excluding Darkness Rising (but will gladly buy it if the game seems worth trying). I tried it for a few days, but thought the graphics seem dated and it lacked some of things I liked about WoW, like the player load and ability to get answers quickly, etc.

Some things I don't know about DAoC that maybe you can answer for me:
First, why would you recommend DAoC?
Are there Guilds in DAoC? If so, how do I apply to join one?
Are there mounts in DAoC?
Are there instances in DAoC?
Do you mostly group or mostly solo on DAoC?

That is a start. Thanks for your time and feedback.

I see this thread got re-kindled, so I got my info there. Thanks :)
http://camelot.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=13;mid=1107384510287186872;page=1