Cadbury World, Birmingham (Christmas visit collaboration)

Having planned a weekend away to Birmingham many months ago, we had decided that we wanted to revisit Cadbury World for their festive activities.

We had visited Cadbury World this year on Easter Monday and having booked an 11am slot, it was very busy. So this time we knew we wanted to visit as early as possible! We were kindly gifted our tickets and we were very pleased when we saw that we had been booked for the 9.40am start. (This is the earliest booking even though Cadbury World opened at 9.30am on this particular day).

There was a small queue already outside when we parked up but we swiftly entered and lined up to begin the tour. When you “check in” you are given a number of chocolate bars each! What a way to begin the tour.

The tour begins by learning about the coco bean and takes you back 1000 years through the Aztec rainforest where you learn how important the coco tree was to their culture. Mia, our niece, commented how fun it was to begin the tour this way and in hindsight I can see what she meant. Given the coco beans importance, it was nice to learn more about it and where it initially came from.

Having travelled through the rainforest you enter Birmingham where you learn about John Cadbury and his sons who helped build the Cadbury Empire. The clever Victorian set up with the vintage Cadbury signs had so much attention to detail.

This was one of my favourite parts of the tour because learning about the dedication of generations of the Cadbury family made me feel quite patriotic!

Again, because we were so early, the tour was very quiet and this time we were able to learn quite a lot more.

After this experience, we went to try our hand at decorating with chocolate! This area is called the “Have a Go” area. Ita loved this and spent about 20 minutes writing her name and drawing hearts. At no point did we feel rushed and the staff continuously cleaned the table top to allow the girls to write/ draw more. (For videos of this please see our Cadbury World highlight on Instagram).

By this area is “Chocolate Making” where you also get to taste melted chocolate with a choice of toppings including biscuit, jelly babies, oreos and marshmallows. Here you can order personalised items (they looked amazing! some were so creative).

We were then given MORE chocolate to pop into our goodie bag!

One of the areas Dominic enjoyed the most was the advertising section. There were a number of adverts that we remember from our childhood which brought back nostalgic memories!

The girls also got to have a go on the Cadbury green screen! (Video on Instagram). This was definitely a highlight for them as the staff made sure they could chose their own props to have fun with. Of course Ita copied Mia!!

This area leads you in to Cadabra which is the only ride here at Cadbury World. It takes you through a mini magic journey where you will see very familiar faces to Cadbury’s. One of the best things about this ride is how inclusive it is – it is totally wheelchair accessible. We especially loved the little festive additions to the ride.

The end of the tour brings you out through the Cadbury World shop. There are lots of treats and plush toys available to purchase… the girls bought fidget spinners – don’t ask!!

Afterwards we headed to reception to request that our time for the Santa Show was amended to an earlier one since we had breezed through the tour in about an hour and a half. The reception staff changed our time slot with no issues so we headed to the outdoor play area where the Santa Show and the Snow White panto are both set up.

The girls LOVED the Santa Show and though that Santa himself was very funny. The show lasted about 15 minutes and your given a selection box on your way out!!

We then decided to head to the 4d show which was right next door (and because we really enjoyed this last time too!). This is one of the best things about Cadbury World and my only quibble is that I wish it was longer… but that’s based purely on how much we all enjoy this part!

We then headed to the Snow White panto which was a perfect way to end our festive visit.

The tour itself lasts about an hour and a half and is a “self tour” which we really like. It enables you to spend as much time in areas as you want to. Outside has a huge play area and you have the 4d cinema experience as well as the Bourneville Museum. I would think that in total, you would expect to spend about 3 hours here give or take.

In respect of places to eat, there is the Cadbury Cafe where you can purchase sandwiches etc however there are many picnic spaces outside too.

We would strongly recommend booking in advance since you are not guaranteed entry otherwise.

When we arrived, people were purchasing tickets for a start of midday. Booking in advance secures your time slot and is a much quicker process.

Link to purchase tickets;

https://cadburyworld.digitickets.co.uk/event-tickets/5883?catID=5392

Students and those over 60 years can purchase tickets at a reduced rate and children under 4 are free!

There are also special prices for families which you can find online.

We really enjoyed our visit and the girls are eager to go back! Must have something to do with all that chocolate they were given!!