Hi Ben!
Welcome to planDisney!
Your ticket type will determine whether or not you need to make a park reservation. If you have a
date-based ticket (in which you chose the start date of the ticket), you will not need to make a park reservation. On your park day, you’ll be able to scan into the park without a reservation, pending park capacity.
Ticket types that require park reservations include, but are not limited to,
Annual Passes, Disney Military Salute Tickets, student group tickets, and sports and convention tickets. If you have a ticket type that requires a park reservation, you can
click this link to make your park reservations.
If you’re not quite sure, you can always attempt to make a park reservation. Just make sure your ticket is linked to your My Disney Experience account before doing so. As you make your way through the prompts, the system will only allow you to make park reservations if that ticket needs them.
It’s good to note that, if you have a
park hopper ticket that requires park reservations, you will only need a park reservation for the very first park you plan to visit on your park day. After you scan into that park, you can hop to any other park, pending park capacity, without a reservation.
I hope that helps! Let us know if you have any other questions as you continue to plan. Have an amazing trip!
Jenn J.