Hi Nathan!
Welcome to planDisney! I'm so excited for your upcoming trip to The Happiest Place on Earth! I'm so glad that you found us hEAR, and I'm happy to be your planEAR today!
I'm happy to report that no, you do not need to wait until your
Disneyland Resort Hotel Vacation Package (or
Disneyland Good Neighbor Hotel + Ticket Package) has been paid in full before you can make the all-important
Park Pass Reservations, which notate which theme park you'd like to visit which day. While final payment is due 30 days before check-in, Park Pass Reservations can be made starting 120 days before each Disney day. I unfortunately don't have the proper magic mirror to see when you'll be visiting Mickey and his pals, Nathan, but hEAR's a helpful
Park Pass Availability Calendar to help plan your Disney days.
Did you know that you can also make
Dining Reservations to sit-down table-service locations starting 60 days before the eat-date and also prior to making your final payment? Some of the most popular reservations to book are
Blue Bayou Restaurant, Carthay Circle (both the
Restaurant as well as the
Lounge which is currently offering Alfresco Dining),
Lamplight Lounge, the
Character Breakfast at Plaza Inn,
Storytellers Cafe (which is a Character Breakfast in the morning but non-character experience at lunch and dinner) and
Wine Country Trattoria. If you're a big
Star Wars fan you'll definitely want to make a reservation at
Oga's Cantina for drinks, but you'll also need a reservation if you'd like to build your very own lightsaber at
Savi's Workshop or robot buddy at
Droid Depot. (Pro Tip: Reservations open at 6:00 A.M. Eastern Time, and if you don't get a spot on your first try, keep checking back.)
I hope this hasn't been information overload, Nathan! Be sure to keep up with the
Disney Parks Blog as well as the
official planDisney Instagram account for all kinds of tips and tricks. And if you have any more questions please feel free to reach back out to us - We're All Ears!
~Kristen