Well, I signed up with DNOA (Domain Name Owners Association, located at dnoa.org) and they offer free whois privacy. For only $8 for a full year membership, it has saved me quite a bit. Most/all registrars do realtime registration, meaning you register and you get the domain the minute you register. The DNS might take longer.
For domain registrations, I use domainsite. Their prices are good, but I don't know about their support since I never use it.