Hi Rachel and welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! I’m excited to see that you have a plan in the works for a visit to the Walt Disney World Resort next Spring!
I’m happy to report that you do not need a Disney Resort hotel reservation or theme park tickets linked to your My Disney Experience account to make
dining reservations. While restaurants within the parks do require that you have a valid theme park ticket to enter, there are lots of places you and your family can dine within the Walt Disney World Resort and Disney Springs areas that do not require a theme park ticket.
Rachel, I see that you’re approaching your 180-day window. If you are planning on visiting a certain theme park but have not yet purchased tickets, you can absolutely make dining reservations now. You have plenty of time to purchase your tickets before your planned visit. You may just want to keep in mind that you can start making your FastPass+ selections 60 days before your visit if you’re a guest at a Disney Resort hotel. You can make selections 30 days before your visit if you’re staying off-site.
Right now, if you purchase 3 or more-day tickets you can save $20 by purchasing your tickets on the
Walt Disney World Resort ticket site. Tickets purchased now would not expire until December 31, 2019. You may also want to take a look at
Special Offers as your trip approaches. Different promotions are available all the time and there may be at least one that coincides with the dates of your trip.
Don’t hesitate to come back to see us with any other planning questions that might come up! Helping you with all the details is our pleasure!
Veronica