There aren't really very many good ticket deals (nothing quite like the discounts you might see for WDW at places like Undercover Tourists). aRES, way.com, getawaytoday.com, AAA, and Costco are the most frequently mentioned options for selling slightly discounted tickets ($5 to $15 is pretty much the range). Just make sure you read the fine print for any handling fees or taxes (there shouldn't be any) that a third party vendor might add that will cut into the discounts.
In terms of the Disney Rewards Dollars, the only caveat I'd add is to note that a good number of the DTD locations (third party) do not accept Disney Gift Cards. I don't know about the Rewards Dollars (i.e., are they like the Gift Cards?), but I would check with the location your thinking of using them at to make sure they accept them.
Dining at DLR is different than at WDW; there are fewer locations (just because there are fewer parks and hotels), but there are still some outstanding selections. Dining reservations open up 60-days in advance (online or over the phone), but it's not nearly as critical to be online right when the system rolls. You can usually get prime dining reservations fairly close to your dates. What kinds of foods do you like? Are you interested in buffets, character meals, or TS locations?
For my family, my favorites at DLR are Cafe Orleans, Carnation Cafe (lunch/dinner), Carthay Circle, Blue Bayou, Big Thunder BBQ, Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen, and PCH Grill (dinner).
Allears.net has menus for DLR, so you can get a sense of the restaurants. There is also a
Dining Reviews with Photo thread that highlight some of the places that fellow Dis'ers have gone to recently.
