Dusty,
That is a very long drive, especially for you to make by yourself. When we drove from Louisville, KY it took us about 13 hours with minimal stops. We drove through the night to make the drive easier for our young girls, but it was NOT easy on us! Your drive would be even longer, so I strongly recommend you fly. I'm not sure which airport you would be leaving from, but definitely check out the budget-minded airlines. If Southwest flies out of your airport, download the Ding! program and watch for sales. We've gotten tickets for $59 each way At prices like that I'm not sure you could drive for any less money.
The dining packages are only available to Disney resort guests, so if you want the dining plan that will make your lodging decision for you. In my experience you can get off-site accommodations for less, but there are definite trade-offs that you need to weigh. For example, depending on that hotel's bus system if you decide to fly, since you won't have a car to drive yourself to the parks at will. Not being able to use the Extra Magic Hours reserved for resort guests, not being able to purchase the dining plan, etc. We stayed off-property once and decided that our family is better suited for ON-property. That said, the value resorts are very affordable ways to stay on-property but not break the bank.
Just for a general idea, I ran a check on those dates and I'm coming up with around $1700
including the dining plan. Without dining it was around $1400. Prices are not exact and always subject to change so be sure to double-check this yourself when you book.
I recommend checking out
www.mousesavers.com and
www.themouseforless.com as well. These are both budget-minded Disney vacation planning sites that will have lots of useful tips and information to help you every step of the way.