Driving to Disney Series / Step #1 - Planning

For the last decade and a half I have worked for a major airline and have flown for free any time we have last minute trips to go on. Sure it's stand-by...but in a crunch it works. I will say that with kids, I have been buying tickets for our large vacations. It is super nerve wracking when we get all separated and everything! I digress. I no longer work for that airline and I am now booking travel as an Authorized Disney Vacation Specialist. I live and breathe Disney! I am a Disney Geek in every sense of the way. I love Hidden Mickeys, Pixar Easter Eggs, Park Trivia...you name it! My son has adopted my passion and he is a Mickey SUPERFAN! We have decided to take him on a short Disney trip tailored to just him. The only problem is that we don't want to buy airfare for a two night trip...time to take a road trip! Cleveland to Orlando...here we go!!!

Departure night:
-8:00PM

We will get the kids ready for bed and put them in PJs and I'll drive for about 5 hours...this should get us to WV or VA. I'll be amped up and we should be able to get at least 5 hours into the trip.

-1:30am (at the latest)
Stop for the night...hoping to get as far as Wytheville, VA. We'll see. We will have a separate overnight bag for this one night. Backpack time!

-6:30am
Get up and get crackin'! We are hoping to find a hotel with a free breakfast. If so, we will eat and then get on the road.

-7:30am
I will probably want to drive for awhile. Once again...excited to GET THERE! Hubby can take the wheel after a few hours. In theory we could be there by 6pm without stops. However, besides food and bathroom breaks, we have a few possible longer stops along the way. My son loves trains and there is a railroad museum in GA. I also want to stop in St. Augustine (such a cool city)...and there is a pirate museum there!!

So that's the rough outline! Stay tuned for my next installment. I'll go over what I am packing in the kids tote bags and apps that I have found for my iDevices. I will also let you know if we have any tweaking to the schedule!

Have you driven more than 12 hours with kids? If so, what was your strategy?? Will my plan work?