Complete Guide to The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride! in Universal Islands of Adventure

“You’ll be on your way up! You’ll be seeing great sights! You’ll join the high-fliers who soar to high heights.” – Dr. Seuss’ Oh, The Places You’ll Go!

Is there a more iconic children’s author than Dr. Seuss? His rhymes are unmistakable, his characters and stories unforgettable. It’s no surprise his words inspired a whole colorful land in Universal Islands of Adventure.

As soon as you enter the whimsical arches of Seuss Landing, look up and you’ll see The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride! winding above it all. Start (or end) your story with a Sneetch-eyed view of the land. It’s an especially picturesque panorama during the holidays when all the Whos decorate the land for Grinchmas.

FUN FACT: You can see characters from the many Dr. Seuss children’s books throughout the land. See how many of them you can spot from above.

THE ENTRANCE

The trolley seems to weave all around Seuss Landing, so the question is: where does it begin? If you’re coming from Port of Entry —  the area where you enter Islands of Adventure — walk past Caro-Seuss-el, then Circus McGurkus Cafe Stoo-pendous, and it’ll be on your right. If you’re coming from The Lost Continent, it’s on your left past Moose Juice, Goose Juice.

A twirling double-decker sign with the ride name and an illustration of the trolley marks the entrance to the ride. You’ll see towering, twisting tubes of different shapes and colors reminiscent of Sylvester McMonkey McBean’s Star-On Machine (say that three times fast) from Dr. Seuss’ 1961 classic The Sneetches. You’ll enter through the tunnel marked SNEETCHES IN (see if you can spot the smaller OUT tube near the ride entrance).

THE QUEUE

As you walk through the queue and up a ramp to the ride platform, you’ll see a retelling of the story of the Sneetches through a series of illustrated panels taken directly from Dr. Seuss’ book. Each panel shows how the Sneetches finally come to learn that “Sneetches are Sneetches and no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches”.

PRO TIP: If you tend to like to skip to the end of a book, take advantage of Universal Express Unlimited and skip the regular lines.

THE RIDE

This gently-moving trolley winds above the fantastical rides and buildings of Seuss Landing for several minutes, also giving you an incredible view of the rest of Islands of Adventure. It speeds up and changes elevation a bit, but it shouldn’t be too intense for kids 36” tall and over (kids under 48” will need to be accompanied by a supervising companion). For really little ones or adults who choose not to ride, there is Child Swap available.

You can ride one of either two trolleys on two different tracks, each with five cars containing two rows of two. One of the tracks even goes through Circus McGurkus Cafe Stoo-pendous (that’s my personal favorite since I love to people-watch/Who-watch). There are several different ride soundtracks, all inspired by the imaginative stories of Dr. Seuss. One retells the touching tale of the Sneetches. Another lets you practice your ABCs through some of your favorite Seuss characters and stories. Yet another teaches you to repeat increasingly silly sounds on the “echomaniacal, super reliable, sound-alike all day and night audiomatic express”.

You never know what track you’ll go on or what soundtrack you’ll be experiencing, which means you’ve gotta ride this at least two or three times. Regardless, you’ll want to stow any loose articles like purses or umbrellas at your feet before the ride begins ‘cause it’s a long way down when you’re high in the sky.

FUN FACT: There are rooftop scenes and characters only visible from the ride. See if you can spot the Sneetches on the beaches. There’s even one in the water!

SWEET TREATS

The ride is conveniently right by Snookers and Snookers Sweet Candy Cookers, perfect if you’ve worked up an appetite from your high-flying journey or if you want to snack while you’re in line. There are clear tubes of colorful candy, homemade fudge in a variety of flavors, caramel apples, baked goods, and other delicious treats.

Favorite Pre-Ride Snack: The roasted cinnamon sugar cashews.

Favorite Post-Ride Snack: It’s a tie for me between a brookie (a brownie with a chocolate chip cookie in the middle — aka, two of the best desserts combined into one) at Snookers and Snookers Sweet Candy Cookers and a sundae on a stick from the nearby Hop on Pop Ice Cream Shop.

When you’re done with your treat, look for one of the trash cans labeled with the memorable quote from Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not”.

STORYTIME

After your sky-high journey with the Sneetches, catch a retelling of some of your Seuss favorites at Oh! The Stories You’ll Hear!. See familiar faces including The Cat in the Hat, Thing One and Thing Two, Sam-I-Am from Green Eggs and Ham, The Grinch and Lorax act out their tales. You may even get a chance to meet them after the show. Download The Official Universal Orlando Resort App to see the latest showtimes and find out when your favorite characters will be around.

If you don’t want your story to end when you leave Islands of Adventure, bring home some of your favorite Seuss stories from All the Books You Can Read. And if you want all the Things (including One and Two), head to Cats, Hats and Things for themed toys, gifts, and t-shirts.

OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO

The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride offers one of the best views in all of Universal Orlando Resort. With two ride tracks looping around Seuss Landing, multiple fun soundtracks and so many details to see from above, it’s a new adventure every time you ride.

What is the coolest thing you’ve spotted from The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride? Let us know in the comments below!