Thanks to all above for some great tips; it's a new world for me having to navigate this very difficult and complicated world of Delta award travel (fortunately I don't have to do it full time anymore). I didn't feel the full impact of the transition until they shut down nwa.com which was still much easier for me to use at that time (even though they had removed a significant amount of the functionality from it by then).

Editorial note:
I'm just now really starting to look to use some of my Skymiles since WorldPerks type bookings disappeared (last use of Skyperks miles was Thanksgiving holidays - for memorial service btw not vacation). I do feel a lot more relaxed now that I have a new primary goal this year - working towards lifetime Platinum on AA which has the advantage of greatly slowing my accumulation of Skymiles (which are very tedious and time consuming to figure out how to use). And now, for the first time in my life, I can fly on almost any major US airline with status, so I truly feel free to choose exactly what flights I want.