Driving to the World

We're going to Disney World the old family way, driving. Most of the details are still unplanned but we know we're driving to the World. My ideal trip would involve a mini-van and my sister and her boyfriend joining us but we're not sure if that is what we're going to do just yet. We may just take our own vehicles. I'd have liked to make it a fun roadtrip with stops along the way but we're just going to drive straight through and have a couple of longer stops on the trip.

Pro's for renting a minivan-
I'd like a minivan for space sake. I'm taking most of my mom's luggage with us depending on what company she's flying with. That means I'm taking at least four suitcases/bags plus food and supplies, I'd really like a minivan! We'd also have room to taxi everyone around to the parks so we could save on parking also. My mom's wheelchair would also be easier to load and unload for the parks. We'd have some special family time and be able to create some fun lasting memories too. The cost would be split between the four of us too. I'm willing to pay a little extra to help my sister out, so I may be able to convince her of this option.

Con's-
We'd be spending A LOT of family time together unless we optioned for taxi's and other transportation. My sister and her boyfriend want to go to Universal Studios, we do too but it's not in the budget this trip, so we'll have to arrange for transportation for them. Either a taxi or arranging our schedule. I have no problem arranging anything for anybody, but if I'm cranky I may think differently.

As you can see I really want to rent a minivan!

The trip down will take anywhere from 16 to 19 hours. I'm estimating about 19 hours since I want to have a couple of stops that last at least 45 minutes. We'll be able to stretch our legs and have some non-car time. I'd also like this time estimate to include any emergency stops; bathroom, car sickness, etc.

I don't know exactly when we're leaving. We have two options to choose from. Leave Friday night, late but not too late so we can arrive sometime Saturday afternoon or early evening. Or we can leave really early Saturday morning and arrive Saturday night. I'm leaning towards Friday night so we can have some breathing room on our travel time. I'd vote to arrive home from work at normal time, which is 5pm, to cook and eat dinner. After dinner is eaten and cleaned up, Brian would go to bed and take a nap so he's able to drive without a problem. Since he could arrive home earlier than me he (in theory) could already be sleeping when I arrive home. I would then finish packing the suitcases, the food, the supplies, and drive to the gas station to pick up ice for the cooler. I could then pack the car, make sure everything is good to go and relax (yeah, right) until it's time to wake Brian and get everyone in the car. I'd like to leave at night so my son could sleep on a normal schedule. This would also mean less stops because we could be sleeping instead of being bored or wanting to get out of the car.

I still need to plan our route to Florida but I'll do that once it gets a little closer so I can check for construction updates and have time to plan a different route if needed. Only 33 weeks to go!