Just wanted to thank everyone on this thread for all their great advice! I just got back last night and I had an AMAZING time in Dalmatia. I had been so nervous about all the unbooked ferry and bus rides, and for the most part it worked out smoothly just like everyone said.

There was ONE event that made my heart stop, and that was that I had eventually planned to do the Korcula->Dubrovnik bus route as people had suggested, but when I arrived in Korcula the day before, the next morning's bus had already sold out! Luckily, we ran into some other tourists at the bus station with the same problem, and we exchanged numbers and ended up pooling money to hire a van to take us to Dubrovnik. With 6 people, it only ended up being slightly more than the bus, and we got to go a little later in the day, so we were able to sleep in a little and enjoy more of Korcula. And it ended up being a great way to meet some other travelers and wind up with a good story!

Dalmatia was a great experience for me, because normally when I travel anywhere I book every travel leg and detail ahead of time, but as the ferries and buses don't sell tickets more than 24 hours ahead of time, I was kind of forced to relax and take things easy, and everything ended up working out for the best. Isn't that what vacations are for?