Getting to Know Universal – The Cat in the Hat

In Seuss Landing there’s fun for guests young and old.
Like a colorful ride with a feline so bold.
Opening in 1999 with the park
The Cat in the Hat is this land’s hallmark.
If you’ve never ridden it, you should
The ride is all fun, and all fun is good.

Getting to Know Universal? Now is the time!
(We hope we didn’t scare you off with this rhyme!)

The Experience

The Cat in the Hat is a slow-moving dark ride based on the popular Dr. Seuss book, The Cat in the Hat. Similar to Disney’s fairy tale rides, the ride slowly travels through detailed sets retelling the story of the book.

Located inside Seuss Landing at Islands of Adventure, the attraction’s entrance is under the giant red-and-white-striped hat next to the One Fish Two Fish attraction. Inside, the queue snakes around the front lawn of an unassuming Seuss-ian house; quotes from the book are projected on the walls and shrubs setting up the attraction. Guests enter the house’s foyer, which is the load station for the attraction. Pay attention to the windows at load, every so often a familiar black-and-white striped tail can be spotted.

On the ride, guests view the story as the children stuck at home on a rainy day as their mother goes out for chores. Of course, as soon as she leaves all hell breaks loose as The Cat, Thing 1, and Thing 2 show up uninvited. The kids’ pet fish attempts to quell the riot but in the end, the children simply asking for The Cat to go does the trick.

Each scene is filled with motion and action; characters are conveyed with simple audio-animatronic figures and accented with energetic lighting. Unlike other Disney dark rides, this attraction’s ride vehicles spin during parts of the ride similar to, but not as intense as, Men in Black: Alien Attack in Universal Studios Florida.

The Opinion

The Cat in the Hat is a fantastic attraction for all ages and pushed forward what family-friendly dark rides could be in 1999. While the attraction has aged in some spots (some segments of CGI look exceptionally old) the ride is kept in top shape. While The Cat in the Hat doesn’t garner the same interest as Potter, Marvel, or Jurassic Park, we still think the attraction is worth doing.

Restrictions & Accommodations

• Guests must be 36 inches tall to ride with a guardian, or 48 inches tall to ride without a guardian
• Restrains may not accommodate guests due to body shape or size
• Child swap is available
• Service animals are permitted to ride with guests
• Secure all prosthetic limbs prior to riding
• Accessible by wheelchair, but must transfer from motor scooter
• Guests with motion sickness or who are pregnant are advised not to ride

When to Visit

The Cat in the Hat usually develops long queues during rainstorms and during the mid-day. We advise riding early in the morning or late in the day. Wait times even on the busiest day usually do not exceed 30 minutes, with most days the wait not exceeding 10 minutes.

Is The Cat in the Hat on your must-ride list? Let us know what you think in the comments.