Emily,
Thanks for asking your question to planDisney!
Unfortunately no, even if you have a dining reservation for a restaurant in a theme park, if you don't have a valid theme park admission you cannot get into the park. But there are a lot of fantastic places to dine with the characters outside of the parks. You can still have all that Disney magic, without having to enter a park. Let me give you some of my favorites.
In all cases, I would recommend you make a reservation. A perk of these meals is that you get to tour some of Disney's most iconic and well-themed hotels, which can be a lot of fun.
BONUS TIPIf it was princesses you were hoping for, one of our favorites outside the parks is
1900 Park Fare. Unfortunately, it is currently closed, but if you keep an eye out, maybe it will reopen before your trip.
Please feel free to
write me back directly if you have any follow-up questions.
Have a Magical Vacation!
Doug