Hi, Carolynn! I'll start with the cut and dry stuff. There are no dining plans available to guests who are not staying at a Walt Disney World resort. However, you can still make dining reservations - which I HIGHLY recommend!
You haven't told me when you're visiting, but guests staying off site can begin making dining reservations 180 days in advance of their visit. Some of the most popular meals - especially character meals - can book well in advance, with some dining experiences booking up entirely as soon as the 180 days window is open. You'll want to secure any character dining experiences or the most popular ones (Be Our Guest, 'Ohana, Le Cellier) as far in advance as you can.
Okay, so where to eat? You can eat at any of the four theme parks or any of the resort hotels if you want to eat on Walt Disney World property, and the list of restaurants is incredible. EPCOT features food from the four corners of the globe, with both counter and table service restaurants. You can make reservations for Italian, French, Chinese, Mexican, Japanese, or even Middle Eastern cuisine; or, if you prefer, just walk up to any of the many counter service locations.
The Magic Kingdom has the crown jewel of character dining experiences, with Cinderella's Royal Table inside Cinderella Castle. This one books early, but you can dine here for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Crystal Palace, where you can dine with characters, is a lovely buffet at all three meals.
You can find a comprehensive list of the restaurants available - both ones that accept reservations and those that don't by clicking .
Walt Disney World Dining. You can make reservations right from that page.
Have a wonderful vacation!