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If you are only 40 days out you will be lucky to GET reservations for all the places you want. I agree it's a hassle to plan so far in advance but you can always cancel if you change your mind.. if your going during a really busy time a lot of table service restaurants don't accept any walk ins. Good luck and have a great trip!
Depends what you mean by your question "do you HAVE to get a reservation?"
If you mean by that "does Disney require reservations?" The answer to that would be no. With a few exceptions (such as Victoria and Alberts), Disney restaraunts generally don't have a policy of requiring reservations. Walkups are allowed.
However, if by your question you are asking if you have to get a reservation due to high demand of the restaraunt, then yes, for most restaraunts, if you do NOT have a reservation, you might be waiting for quite a while for a table due to the high demand of the restaraunt. Advance ADR's, although not officially required, are highly recommended. Even if Disney does not actually require a reservation, you may be out of luck if you don't have one and get to the restaraunt and find out that the tables are all full, and the estimated wait time is 2 hours.
You might as well , doesn't hurt. I made mine 18 days out... I grabbed lunch at sci fi, dinners in epcot and dhs (brown derbie) with little to no problem . I'm leaving in 4 days
If you dont want to spend a lot of time waiting for a seat I would call or go online a make ADR's Like others have said if you change your mind youcan always cancel.