Hi there, Joe, and welcome to planDisney!
You have come to the right place! We're a family of super planners here, and I will happily answer your question about
theme park reservations for your Walt Disney World Resort vacation.
When you purchase tickets from the
Walt Disney World Resort website, you will be asked to select the dates and parks you want to visit. Tickets are non-refundable; however, you can always modify your dates (with possible additional payment required depending on the new selection) and the parks that you plan on visiting. So, through this process, you will automatically have a theme park reservation.
If you have a ticket from another source or if you have an
Annual Pass, you'll want to check the
theme park availability calendar to make sure the dates that you want are available. Then, yes, you would go to your
My Disney Experience account and make a theme park reservation once you've
linked your ticket.
AN EXTRA GEM: I have great news, Joe! If you plan on visiting the Most Magical Place on Earth next year, theme park reservations will not be required to enter a theme park starting on January 9, 2024 for date-based tickets. Just one less thing to plan for when getting ready for your big adventure!
I hope that you have the BEST time exploring the theme parks! If you have any other questions, please
revisit us here at planDisney.
Magic always,
LeAndra