Cadbury World

...they were taking her to Cadbury World and asked if I'd like to go as well. I told him it was a daft question and he knowing my love for chocolate said he thought I'd say something like that. Plus I'd already been before (summer 2003) so he and my Mum were asking me a few questions about it. So I popped on the website to see if it was the same since my last visit. Straight away I could see there was a 'Book now' section. After remembering my last ...
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***Arriving at Cadbury World***

After parking (this is free) we made our way into Cadbury World. We still had to queue for our tickets but as we had booked in advance this was very simple and didn't take long. We had printed a copy of the confirmation email along with us and this is all they needed. They do tell you to make sure you have the credit or debit card, which you used but as far as I recall they never asked for ... more

My Dad was planning a surprise for my Grans birthday and told me they were taking her to Cadbury World and asked if I'd like to go as well. I told him it was a daft question and he knowing my love for chocolate said he thought I'd say something like that. Plus I'd already been before (summer 2003) so he and my Mum were asking me a few questions about it. So I popped on the website to see if it was the same since my last visit. Straight away I could see there was a 'Book now' section. After remembering my last visit and how I sat around waiting for ages till we could go through I advised my Dad that this would be the best thing. So after a quick discussion we decided the best time to book the admission times for and booked them straight away. We were lucky as there weren't many slots left and I'd imagine if you leave it to the last moment then you could struggle getting the day you'd want. Having said that, I popped on to see how far in advance you can book them and it doesn't look like you can do it too far in advance. It's worth being aware of this though and getting the tickets booked when you can. So with the tickets booked we didn't need to worry about getting there too early so we got in ok.

***Arriving at Cadbury World***

After parking (this is free) we made our way into Cadbury World. We still had to queue for our tickets but as we had booked in advance this was very simple and didn't take long. We had printed a copy of the confirmation email along with us and this is all they needed. They do tell you to make sure you have the credit or debit card, which you used but as far as I recall they never asked for it. It's better to have it though, just in case!

Once you've got your tickets you can either go in the shop they have or to the café. It's advisable to go to the toilets before hand but there are plenty of toilets dotted around once you're in so it shouldn't be a huge problem. Those who need a disabled toilet should go before though. My Gran did so (she has a wheelchair when we go out, as she can't walk that far) and once we were going around I didn't notice any other disabled toilets. I've had a look on the website and it goes to show how observant I was as they do have them. There are some before you enter the packaging plant and near the shop at Essence.

Once it's time for the tour to start (your ticket will have a specific time) you can the queue to enter the Aztec Jungle. A member of staff who also dishes out chocolate lets you in. The day I went it was a bar of Twirl and a packet of Buttons. I seem to remember back in 2003 that they gave out 4 bars so I was a little disappointed! We had to wait a little while as a school group was let in before us so she was waiting for it to clear. So we were chatting to her for a while and learnt some interesting things that weren't part of the tour. Such as Bournville is now produced in France for them. I just assumed that all of Cadburys products were made here so I was a little surprised at that.

***Aztec Jungle***

On entering the Aztec Jungle it was quite dark but after a few moments I found my eyes had adjusted. So those who are effected by going from the light to dark have been warned (my Gran is as she has glaucoma). This section starts off the tour with a little history about cocoa and how the Mayan Indians and the Aztecs used it. There are plenty of life sized displays showing them and boards of information about them that you can read. I noticed a few people just walking through this section without reading it all, which I thought was a shame as I thought it, was interesting. I won't go into detail about it all, as it'll spoil it for those who want to visit themselves.

***Journey to Europe***

This brings us nicely on to how cocoa was brought into Europe. This is done in a lovely way as well. There are a series of screens and the story is told on a loop and holograms tell the story. We were fortunate to walk in right at the beginning, which saved on time, as I would have wanted to know about it all if I'd walked in towards the end. I can imagine children finding this slightly boring but it doesn't last all that long and grown up chocoholic's will find it very interesting! For example, when chocolate first came to Europe it wasn't eaten in bars like we do now. It was drunk as drinking chocolate and there were chocolate houses the aristocrats went to.

***Bull Street***

Once you've learnt the history of chocolate that brings us on to Cadbury and how the Cadbury family started up. Before heading into the auditorium to hear about the Cadbury Story you have to wait a short while in Bull Street. The clever people at Cadbury World have built a replica of a street in Birmingham, as it would have been when John Cadbury was struggling with his business. There are several windows of shops that are interesting and for all those who need a sit down (I did!) there are a few benches. When it's almost time to go in a hologram of John Cadbury appears above the door and tells you a little bit about the history of Cadbury, namely when he had a little shop in Birmingham.

***The Cadbury Story***

This leads us on beautifully to The Cadbury Story. Once everyone is seated the doors shut and the screen starts up and John Cadbury appears again as a hologram on a statue head. It's done in a very clever way, which makes it more entertaining than just watching a screen. John Cadbury introduces his sons Richard and George and they also talk about their part in the business. It's very interesting to learn about how they went from a small business and then how they had to move to a bigger place and how they built the plant at Bournville and how well they looked after their employees.

***Making Chocolate***

After the interesting Cadbury Story you're lead into another room with more seats. This time you're warned that anyone that doesn't want to be shocked to sit on the back row. Having been before I went and sat at the back as I knew what would happen and I knew it would make me feel dizzy. Most people will be able to handle it though so I suggest if you do go be brave and sit on the 'normal' seats! Again a screen appears and a man appears and starts to tell you how chocolate is made. This is done in a fun way and when they are telling you how the cocoa beans are shaken the seats shake and other effects include a bit of steam and the look of the room being heated. There is room for people in wheelchairs but as I wanted to sit at the back and the rest of my family were sat elsewhere she was on her own. Not that she minded though, as she was too busy watching the screen. I also think they need to soundproof their rooms as well as when in this room I could hear the voice of John Cadbury from the Cadbury Story, which I found a little off putting. The rooms are right next to each other but I'm sure they could do something about that. Having said this part of the tour is one of my favourites (along with the demonstration area).

***Manufacturing***

After learning about the way chocolate is made the doors open and you're told to move on to the next part. Here there are various machines with screens, which you can learn about certain Cadbury chocolate, and how it's all made. Last time I went it was so busy I never had a chance to get to a screen so this time I made sure I did! When I went one of the machines (I think there are four in total) were broken and had a sign up apologising for any inconvenience. The one we were at we'd been beaten to by a family but we were still able to watch. The only trouble was the sound on our one wasn't all that good and I could actually hear more of another one, which was distracting.

Watching the videos was really interesting though. If you've wondered how they make Cadburys Crème Eggs then this is the place for you! You can also see how other chocolate is made such as Buttons, Crunchie, Fry's Turkish Delight and Roses. We managed to watch most of them but once you've seen a few you can guess how they make the others.

***Packaging Plant***

After all this learning you actually get to see it in action. That is if you're lucky, as Cadburys do state that the packaging plant may not be in operation all the time. Before that though you have a chance at having your picture taken with Chuckle Bean. This is really for kids though and we declined the offer! There are stairs to get to this part but there is a lift for anyone with a pushchair or anyone in a wheelchair. We were a bit confused where we were going at first but a member of staff saw us and pointed us in the right direction. One seeing my Gran in a wheelchair they informed us that there were stairs to some of it so she wouldn't be able to see it all. But they said that once we got there someone else would tell us more. So on we walked towards the packaging plant. The first thing we saw was a huge vat, which was stirring, melted chocolate. At this point I could smell it and it made me want to eat some chocolate. Ahh so that's why they hand out the free chocolate then! You then can walk along and see the rest of the production line. There is a huge perspex wall so you can see it but it's still a factory environment. At various points they had huge posters with information on it. This was good as you learnt even more snippets of information. You don't actually see the chocolate being made here but you see the chocolate bar come along on a conveyor belt and get wrapped in a flow wrap. I didn't find this that interesting but purely because I had a year out and worked in a cheese factory so I knew how it was all wrapped really.

As you walk on this is where those in a wheelchair will have to wait. This wasn't so bad though as she had a video to watch which showed how the chocolate was made. When we came back from seeing what was up the stairs we watched a bit of the video but most of the information in the video was repeating information we had learnt at the beginning of the tour though. For those wondering what was up the stairs it was just more of what we'd seen downstairs. So really you're not missing out if you don't go up.

On the way out there are a couple of quiz machines. If you've seen the ones in the pubs with things like Hangman and Battleships you'll know what I mean. Here you can have a chance to test your chocolate knowledge. Some of the questions are from what you've learnt on the tour but some are random ones like how many Cadbury Crème Eggs are made a year (300 million if you're interested). You only get a certain amount of questions and then at the end it tells you the percentage you got right. Then you get a chance to watch a 3D film. You get some rather attractive glasses and they show you how they package the chocolate. I only watched some of this as it made me feel funny. It was interesting but really as I'd seen it in action there was nothing I was missing out on. This fascinated my Gran, who had been unable to go upstairs, though. When you hand in your 3D specs you get handed another bar of chocolate (Dairy Milk this time) which was well received!

***Cadabra***

After finding your way back out of the production area you find yourself back at the lift area and where the Chuckle Bean photo opportunity is. This is also where you need to go back for Cadabra. This is a delightful car ride aimed at children. As you go round you can see various Chuckle Beans. This doesn't appeal to adults but to be honest, I was grateful for a sit down. They also have a wheelchair-adapted car, which my Gran went in. It also has room for another person so my Mum went with her. She told me afterwards that she loved it so I guess it doesn't only appeal to young children! As you go round you get your photograph taken and you can get a copy of it later on. You can also have it put on a mug or a mouse mat. There were other things as well but we walked past this section after having a laugh at our mug shots!

***Demonstration Area***

Next up is one of my favourite areas: the demonstration area! Having remembered what it was like 3 years ago I was really looking forward to this again. Only this time it was better. Not that they have done anything different but I stayed longer and learnt more. Neil greeted us after a group of kids disappeared. On a marble slab in front of Neil was a huge blob of chocolate, which didn't really look all that appealing. He explained that the chocolate had been melted but as it was allowed to set it went all solid like. He then got some fresh melted chocolate and poured it out. He explained to us that by putting air into the chocolate and letting it cool to the right consistency meant that it wouldn't break and crumble when they were trying to get it out the moulds. This was really interesting, as I'd never given this much thought before. Neil was knowledgeable and enthusiastic as well which made it enjoyable to listen to. He also offered us the chance to have a go but I figured I'd make a mess so I wasn't brave enough.

Then we moved on to the tasting bit! Last time I was just given melted chocolate in a little plastic cup. This time we were given a piece of fudge with melted chocolate on it. This was tasty and it can be messy so you need to be careful! We were offered a second piece but I declined. My Gran loves her fudge so the lady gave her a piece without the chocolate. In this area you're also given the opportunity to write your name in melted chocolate. I'm more interested in the eating of it though!

***Happiness Room***

This area is basically a large dance mat. At first I was puzzled to what it was and then I noticed there were light lit up on the floor. This may appeal to children but we had no interest so walked on by.

***Coronation Street***

You don't have to be a fan of Coronation Street to enjoy this next section. Personally I can't stand the programme but I did find this rather interesting. For those who are unaware Cadburys sponsor Coronation Street and at the beginning they have a small advert featuring chocolate people. Here you get to see how they made it all and various other interesting facts.

***Advertising***

This brings us on to the advertising section. There are several large screens round the room and seats in the middle, which you can sit on. Whilst the content of the adverts is very interesting I found the layout of the room annoying. Those who didn't want to watch the adverts would have to walk right through the middle and some were talking which was a distraction. Having said that I did enjoy seeing the old adverts, some of which I'd forgotten all about. They have put them into decades so if a particular era is of interest to you then you can watch that. We watched the whole lot though and I must admit I found it amusing to watch some of the first adverts they had and to hear my parents and Gran say how they remembered them.

***Purple Planet***

This next section is great for kids. If you go with any children then expect to be in this section for some time! It is basically a room with loads of interactive fun. You can chase a Crème Egg or try to catch chocolate to name a couple. I never stayed in this part all that long as it wasn't of interest to me. It was really crowded when we were here though and even if I did want a go I'd have had to wait my turn as there were so many children running about (another reason not to stay too long!). It is a nice addition though, as some parts of the tour won't interest children.

***The Worlds Biggest Cadbury Shop***

This takes you out into the shop, which boasts it's the biggest Cadbury shop. It is rather impressive and they have a variety of chocolates as you can imagine. I was impressed with a huge bar of Dairy Milk (this cost £29!) and a full sized rugby ball made of chocolate. There is also a factory outlet section where you can buy in bulk things like Chomp, Curly Wurly and Dairy Milk. I went straight for the Misfits though. These are bags of chocolates that don't make the grade to be included in boxes of say Milk Tray or Roses. There are also a variety of other souvenirs such as clothing, mugs and trays. It could be expensive if you stay in here too long though!

This concludes the part of Cadbury World in the main building. There is yet more but you have to go outside the main building and around the side of it. We visited the toilets again but there are some at Essence so this isn't a necessity.

***Children's Playground***

As you do approach Essence there is a children's playground so those with kids may get stuck here first!

***Essence***

When approaching Essence there is a board outside informing you that they let people in every 5 minutes. We didn't have to wait all that long and then we were ushered in. We were the only people waiting so we were alone for this part which was nice as huge crowds of children was starting to get too much for me. On entering there is a room with a huge screen. My first thoughts were that there were no seats (my feet were killing at this point) so I went and leant against a wall. Then the screen lights up and we hear about how Dairy Milk was invented. I thought this part was somewhat repetitive but it was still interesting. Then after that has finished doors open up into another room where you again learn more about see how it was made. This is cleverly done with holograms again. Once this has finished you go into a room where you can try to 'create' your own bar. This isn't as good as it sounds though. You get given a choice of things to add and you get that in a cup with melted chocolate poured on it. Some of the choices were liquorice allsorts, popcorn, wine gums, mint chips, and marshmallows. I opted for the liquorice allsorts and really enjoyed it. Everyone else was saying how sickly they thought it was so I guess you really do need to be a chocolate fan to be able to stomach more chocolate at this point. You then come out into another shop, which has much of the same that the main shop offered. I did notice a few different things but nothing worth shouting about.

***The Cadbury Collection***

The Cadbury Collection is a museum type room. As you enter on the wall is a timeline of Cadbury history events. As you go in there are loads of information boards on the wall about various things to do with Cadbury. There is also a model of Bournville so you can see how big the village was in relation to how big the plant was. There is also an interesting bit where you can see some of the old wrappers of some of the chocolate and a look at that. One part of the wall is perspex looking into some of the boxes of chocolate being stacked by robots. We spent a reasonable amount of time in here reading the various bits of information but I didn't read it all as there was so much and at this point I was tired and wanting to sit down. I'd imagine children would find this really boring but then the playground is outside so one parent could visit the Cadbury Collection whilst the other watched them play. So it is ideally placed from that point of view.

***Prices and other information***

As mentioned earlier there is free parking and there are plenty of spaces. You do need to check for opening times as this varies depending on the time of the year. I do know that in December it is shut on Mondays for example. On the website they have a calendar which you can check if they are open and if they are the times it is open from and to.

The prices I thought were reasonable: £12.50 for adults, £9.95 for senior citizens and £9.50 for children. As most places they offer family tickets, large groups reduced rates and a season ticket for a year if you can see yourself going back for more! As mentioned earlier booking the tickets in advance is advisable so that you can guarantee getting in. We did this easily online although a fee of £1 was charged per person. I didn't think this was too bad as it's better than getting there and finding out that they are so busy and you can't get in or having to hang around for several hours. You can also call them if you would prefer and also if you have any vouchers then they can only be used by calling them direct.

In the main building there is a restaurant which is where we had lunch. There is also a snack bar near the Cadbury Collection but this looked shut when I went passed and somewhere I did read that this was only open during busy times. At the main restaurant you can grab something quick to eat like a sandwich or a main meal, which is which we opted for. I wasn't really impressed with the choice they had though. Anyone who is fussy could find eating here a problem. I don't recall any vegetarian choices but that is because I wasn't looking with that in mind. I chose the chicken burger and the rest of my family opted for the steak and kidney pie. It wasn't ready though so we were told to pay for it and to take a seat and it would be brought over to us. I think we were unfortunate as when we arrived it was heaving and there were several groups of school children. As we were leaving it was practically empty so we just timed it wrong I think.

***What I thought***

As you can tell I really enjoyed my visit. Having been before in 2003 I knew what to expect and still thought that by returning I'd enjoy myself. As they had added a few things since then there was plenty to keep me interested and even the things that were there before I enjoyed seeing again. The new Essence I thought was good and I enjoyed the second lot of melted chocolate! I do really love chocolate though and I was the only person in my group that enjoyed the second lot of melted chocolate. They are generous with it though so those who are chocoholics might find it all a bit too sickly. There are a few things which I'd like to see change there. Mainly sound proofed rooms so you can't hear what is going on in the next room and seats in Essence wouldn't go amiss. Having said that I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and I would definitely go back again. It seems like they like changing the attractions so that you can go back again. With over half a million visitors a year they can't be going wrong. So if you love chocolate and you've never been what are you waiting for?!

Finding Cadbury World is easy enough as well. They do have detailed directions on the website if you need them. Coming from the South we came off the M5 and it was all sign posted with the brown attraction signposts. From the M6 and M42 it is also well sign posted as well, or so it says on the website!

http://www.cadburyworld.co.uk/

Tel: 0845 450 3599 

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