I don't have much experience with ceramic, but most people that dislike cast iron are using it wrong:
1) put all non cast iron frying pans, skillets, etc in storage, and make the cast iron the default (so the cast iron is used at least every few months and the patina is maintained over time).
2) put a small amount of oil in the pan each time you cook (unless the food is fatty, like ground beef)
3) to clean, scrape with a small rectangular plastic scraper (such as the brown one pampered chef makes for $3), and finish with a stainless steel pot scrubber. Do not use soap. Use hot water and dry immediately (perhaps by heating it briefly on the range and storing it there). Optionally recoat with oil once dry. This should be easier than maintaining Teflon, or you are doing something wrong. Look for more advice.
If you've ruined the seasoning already (or got a "ruined" one for free, hint, hint,...), give it a thorough cleaning, coat in a very thin layer of cheap oil (canola/vegetable is fine, exotic oils often have exotic problems, like flaking) and bake for a few hours at 20-50 degrees below the smoke point of the oil you chose.
When cooking, the first step should always be to start preheating the cast iron.
If you still really dislike cast iron, consider stainless, optionally with a copper core. You might want a stainless sauce pan anyway, since simmering tomatos in cast iron strips the seasoning over time.
Stainless is harder to clean, but is otherwise fine. Make sure the stainless is induction compatible, since a mid-priced stainless set will outlive you (be sure to get metal handles with solid rivets). Induction is the future, and you don't want to toss the set in a few decades.