Hi Emma!
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel.
It sounds like you have a good day planned, spending time at
Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park, including lunch at
Sanaa at
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. The good news is that all locations related to Animal Kingdom are positioned close to one another, so your transport options will be simple, and fairly quick. There will be a bus service from the park to the Disney Resort hotel. The transfer time will be a few minutes, but if you just miss a bus you may have to wait an additional 20 minutes for the next one to arrive. There will always be taxi cabs waiting at the entrance to the theme parks and this would be your quickest option, and would not be too costly as the hotel is close by.
Here is an interactive map for you to see where everything is located. Zoom in on Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park. To the left is Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. I would probably allow 30-40 minutes from the park entrance to arriving at the check-in podium at Sanaa, just to allow yourselves enough time.
You could easily return to the park after your lunch to enjoy the nighttime activities. It is so beautiful at night, and is definitely worth seeing. In particular, you won't want to miss
Tree of Life,
Pandora - the World of Avatar and
Rivers of Light: we are One.
Please come back and visit us if you have any further questions. We will be happy to help you plan your magical vacation to Walt Disney World.
Sue