Hello and welcome to planDisney, Karl. I'm so glad you've stopped by to talk about one of my favorite things - Disney dining!
Karl, you do not need to have theme park tickets already purchased to make your
advanced dining reservations. Advanced dining reservations can be made 60 days prior to your Walt Disney World vacation. You can make dining reservations over the phone by calling 407-WDW-DINE or you can book them online using your MyDisneyExperience account. Your booking window is already open so I suggest going ahead and making those reservations in the near future. Karl, you'll want to keep in mind, however, that if you are a no-show for your Disney dining reservation there is a fee of $10 per person on your reservation. If you make a dining reservation inside one of the Walt Disney World Theme Parks and you don't end up getting a ticket for that day, you'll want to be sure to cancel to avoid any no-show fees.
Disney Springs is actually one of my favorite spots for a meal during Walt Disney World vacation. Disney Springs is the shopping, dining and entertainment hub of Walt Disney World and does not require a theme park ticket to enter. One of my favorite spots there for dinner happens to be
The BOATHOUSE. The restaurant is set right on the lake in and provides stunning views of the sunset. There is something on the menu for everyone, even the pickiest of eaters. My go-to order right now happens to be the lobster roll, served warm with butter and I always upgrade to the truffle fries. In fact, this meal is so delicious my whole family orders the same thing.
Another dining suggestion, if you don't want to book anything in a Walt Disney World Theme Park, is to look into the restaurants at the Walt Disney World Resort Hotels. Some of my favorite restaurants are not inside the theme parks but rather at the hotels!
Steakhouse 71 is a new restaurant that just opened up at Disney's Contemporary Resort and it is fantastic. I recently dined there for dinner and I've been telling everyone about it. In fact, I already have several upcoming dining reservations to eat there again.
'Ohana at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort is a fan favorite restaurant. If you time your dinner just right, you can actually see the fireworks from the windows that outline the restaurant. It's a fun way to end the day!
I hope this helps, Karl. If you have any other questions before your trip, please feel free to stop back by and
ask me. I'm here to help. Have fun and happy planning!