Hi DDBD,
Thanks for your comments and feedback and for letting us know what you ended up deciding … and congratulations on your new mattress 
Sleepcraft certainly makes some great quality/value mattresses.
They don’t offer a discount because they aren’t a member of the site.
Yes. A mattress protector is important to protect your mattress from stains and the body fluids, skin cells, and oils that we release each night, to protect against spills and accidents, and to keep your sleeping surface in a clean and hygienic condition. It will also protect your warranty because most mattress warranties are usually voided with any type of stain on a mattress. They can be easily removed for washing and are usually designed to have the least possible effect on the feel and performance of the mattress itself. I don’t have any specific recommendations but there is more about the pros and cons of different types of mattress protectors and some examples of each of them in post #89 here.
Phoenix