Hi Brian,
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! I am so excited that you are about to make advanced dining reservations and Fast Pass+ selections!
You can certainly make reservations at any restaurant that accepts reservations. Just be sure the restaurant accepts the
Disney Dining Plan and also check the number of meal entitlements required at each restaurant. To check, simply click on the web page for a restaurant. On the right-hand side of the page, you should see a link that says "Some Dining Plans Accepted." If you click on that link, a pop-up chart should appear that depicts which dining plans are accepted and the number of meal entitlements required.
When my family does the Disney Dining Plan, we typically take breakfast snacks to eat in the morning before we head out to the parks. Then we use a quick-service entitlement for lunch and a table-service entitlement for dinner. When we use the
Disney Deluxe Dining Plan, we eat at a few signature restaurants that require two table-service entitlements per person 3-years old and up on the dining plan. Since the Deluxe Dining Plan gives us each three meal entitlements per night of stay, we are able to enjoy a few signature restaurants and still have enough meal entitlements for the duration of our vacation.
You will receive dining plan entitlements per night of stay and can use them in the order you see fit. Also, remember to make your dining reservations with your park visits in mind. Since we normally only do base tickets, we have to make sure that our dining reservations are in the same park we plan to visit each day. As you make your Fast Pass+ selections, remember your dining reservation times!
Magic, memories and Minnie Mouse hugs,
Donyell