Ahoy, Annette!
What a magical land and sea adventure you have planned for this summer! It is always hard to disembark a Disney ship, so being swept away to the Walt Disney World Resort will make the transition easier for your crew. And you couldn't have picked a better time to visit Disney's Animal Kingdom with the recent announcement that
Pandora-World of AVATAR is opening in May! From the pictures and videos I've seen, the imagineers have really knocked it out of the park with this immersive, mystical land. I know you'll be ready to hit the ground running to see this new area of the park once you've bid adieu to Captain Mickey and the gang.
On the morning of your departure, you'll need to board your motor coach to the Animal Kingdom Lodge between 8:15 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. as the motor coach buses to the Walt Disney World Resort depart at 9:00 a.m. Unfortunately, there is no way to know the order of resort drop-off, but it will take around 50 minutes to one hour to get to the most magical place on earth. My advice is complete your online check-in before you leave for your cruise since it is offered 60 days prior to arrival, so you can head to the Online Check-In Desk once you get there. If your room is not ready, you can leave any day bags you have with Bell Services and head straight to the park with your MagicBands. Your luggage will be delivered directly from the ship. My best estimate for your arrival to Disney's Animal Kingdom is between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. The main factors that will have an impact on your timing will be the order of resort drop-off and how long you will have to wait for a bus to get to the park.
I'm so glad you cruised by to "sea" us here at the Disney Parks Moms Panel! I'm excited for you to experience the magic of Disney on both land and sea and hope you'll let us know if you have further questions!
Nancy