For us it depends when we leave. From Atlanta it's roughly 6.5 - 7 hours of driving, so if we leave on Friday after work we'll get there that night and have a late dinner at our resort. If we leave extremely early Saturday morning (traditional for us in the past), we'd arrive in Kissimmee around noon, have lunch at the Checkers just off Disney property, and then check into our resort and then take the bus to either Epcot or MGM.
For me I have different stages for getting into the "Disney mood" while making the drive. The first half through Georgia is usually a blur because it's usually dawn and we're still waking up. The Florida welcome center is always a nice visit (free orange juice and reading material for the drive), but to me I don't get that feeling of actually being in Florida until sometime around Ocala. By that time it's around 10:30 or 11 am, the sun should be shining, there's the semi-cheezy Disney radio station in that area, there's the Disney info center next to the interstate (used to be a good place until AAA took it over), and Ocala is home to one of the greatest Hooter's in the nation. The drinks are very cold, chicken wings nice and hot, and there is plenty of eye candy from the nearby University of Florida. After Ocala you know you're only about an hour from the theme parks. The drive is usually pretty good and there are plenty of orange and palm trees to look at along the way. I usually don't get that feeling of actually being in Disney until checking into the hotel. I don't need to be in the parks or on a certain ride to get that Disney feeling. Just the Disney atmosphere in the hotels and on Disney property is enough for me.