Is the difference between a 16mp and 12mp camera really noticeable?

When doing my search for the “best” camera out there, this one camera keeps showing up in the top 1 – 3 listings. But it’s a 12 megapixel camera and all of the other ones listed are 16mp. The camera is NOT cheaper because of this. It has many features I love, including a very sturdy case and 20x optical zoom. But I wonder if I’ll be kicking myself when I look at the pictures and see a difference between 12 and 16 megapixels.