Avoid gel shorts. As far as your sore bums are concerned, it is a matter of time before they get used to the saddle. the shorts help a little bit, but saddle time is the only cure....of course proper fit is a given.
When it comes to shorts, I have used love2pedal and have used their bibshorts on centuries without any issues. There is also aerotechdesigns, which I have also used. If you are on a budget, these can't be beat. I have also used Giordana, Santini and Nalini...a little bit more money but they are very plush, if you can spare the budget, I highly recommend them. I rotate through them and the comfort level is more or less the same for long rides and in my experience varies only in terms of the hand of the fabric.