I don't know that I can answer all of your questions, but I'll start the ball rolling...also, you might want to repost this in the Swan Dolphin thread, if you get a dearth of replies here...
Transferring AMEX to *wood--I think the transfer rate is 3 AMEX=1 *point, so this is not a very good deal
Points for a room at S/D--not sure on pure points; however, the points and cash promotion going on now offers a room for 4000 pts/night + $60.00 for a maximum of 5 nights, I think.
As for making reservations, I would suggest using Your Magical Journeys
Travel Agency. Contact Karen @
www.yourmagicaljourneys.com
By using a T/A, you can learn of all of the possible discounts offered at this resort (and there are a lot). Also, in my experience using Karen, my needs have been taken care of better than I could have hoped. Using a T/A costs you nothing, so its a no-brainer to me. Also, if you ever book a "Disney" resort, Karen watches the codes and has them applied to your reservation without you having to worry. Take my experience on our trip planned for this June--
4 times now, I have logged on to an email message from Karen stating that she had applied a discount code to our reservations and our cost has gone down x dollars...that's a pretty cool feeling to save money without ever trying.
Finally, here's to hoping you have a wonderful time
