Cadbury World

Not a bad day out, not somewhere I would rush back too though, bit of a 1 off experience.
Shop was reasonably priced and actually had some good deals, we were expecting it to be quite expensive.
We had paid for a afternoon tea and tour but there wasn’t much information actually at reception about where to go etc.
Just for anyone else if you brought it online you actually have to redeem the tickets at the main reception before going for the tour (actually it’s a walk round, not guided tour)
Then for the afternoon tea there is a reserved area at the back of the restaurant, so make sure you let a staff member know that you have a tea and they will show you to a table.
Our tour was booked for 13:10, we went to the 4D cinema, shop and Bournville experience first but this only took probably less than an hour, then we went to the restaurant straight after for the afternoon tea.

Best parts was the 4D experience and the car ride, obviously the 6 free chocolate bars we got between the 2 of us and the warm gooey pot of chocolate we got to try was also delicious, however if your a couple or don’t have any kids with you, there is NO WAY I WOULD GO IN SCHOOL HOLIDAYS!! I can imagine it being absolutely crazy, then I think it definitely wouldn’t be worth it.
But not a bad visit.

We planned a weekend in Birmingham around taking kids to Cadbury World, but I felt it was pretty average, to be fair website makes clear its not a factory tour - so what is it then?

£17 each to get in, they chuck a few Wispa/Oreo bars on way in, and hand out another dairy milk half way round, but would be nicer if there were new/old bits to try on way round, there are loads of old classic bars which could be made in small batches to show how things are made, and handed out on way round.

First section made no sense, there were headphone/number signs, so i assume there was supposed to be an audio commentary but not running/working ? Lots of things were broken/tatty on the way round, and the chocolate play area (write name and slide chocolate around) had no explanation and staff didn't speak so seemed wasted.

There where a couple of good bits, the car ride is good, and where they give out melted chocolate in a cup with choice of marshmallow/bits etc in was good, and you could watch chocolate moulds being filled/emptied through a window but again no commentary/explanation which seemed a missed opportunity.

Kids enjoyed the chocolate and gift shop, so worth going if your nearby but not worth 2.5 hour drive I'd say and won't be rushing back.

We ate in the cafe looking forward to the chocolate in dishes, but only a few had any chocolate and the hunters chicken with chocolate I had I couldn't taste any chocolate at all (surely everything on menu should have chocolate in as an option - not exactly difficult !), cafe staff were awful slow and disorganised - cafe is run by some outsourced company and I'm guessing they were all new that day (start of half term).

4D cinema was good but queue was very long for kids, and play area is all outdoors so wasn't usable as it was raining.

We stayed in Birmingham for weekend so this was an OK stopping point on way in, but that's about as good as I can say.

We had booked a 10.00 tour for a party of 9 including a 1 year old and a 4 year old. We arrived at 9.20 expecting at least to be able to go somewhere warm and have some breakfast and use the facilities after traveling (like a recent Emmerdale studio tour we did). However we were firmly told the doors including the toilets and cafe would remain closed until 10. We eventually discovered some toilets outside around the far side just in time to stop some embarrassing accidents. We then dutifully stood and froze until the doors opened at 10.05 and joined a mad rush to go in. We eventually started our 10 o’clock tour at 10.20 clutching our free 1 bar of chocolate but no bag as that was extra to pay. The first part was just a crowded pushing session but looked dated at this point I wouldn’t have given even 1 star. Things did improve and it was ok and the pantomime was good but the start spoilt it and only 1 free bar of chocolate each was tight to say the least. The silly thing is from a business POV was if we could have gone in at 920 we would have spent probably another 100 pounds between breakfast and the gift shop.

What a brilliant place! Family of 5 with kids ranging from 15-7 and they all loved it.
We had our tickets booked for 10.30am, but arrived at the venue about 9.45. Walked in a spoke to the staff who said we can’t go in before our time but we could go to the bourneville area and that the 4D experience would start at 10.30.
We decided to go round and see what was at Bourneville.
The museum was good, kept us warm from the cold and there is a lot to look at and videos to watch.
The kids then went and spent some time in the park and when 10.30ish rolled around we queued up for the 4D show. It started late as they were waiting for someone to sort the lift of something. 🤷‍♀️ After a while they let us in to the show and we all just walked in (not sure what the lift thing was about).
The show was really good, very short but fun. My youngest didn’t like it but the others wanted to go back. I wish I’d said yes at the time as when we went back later the queue was quite long and we had a long drive back so couldn’t wait. But we were conscious our time had passed and wanted to go into the main attraction.
We walked in, got in the relevant queue and was at the front in 5 minutes. They scanned my print out of my tickets and we got a choc bar each and the book I had pre ordered. We then also brought a bag as we had a few bits to carry!
The talks and shows inside were good, not something the kids were that interested in but the adults enjoyed it. It was quite hot though and LOTS of people in smallish rooms which doesn’t help. Not much else to say on the attraction part other then it’s well guided to make sure you don’t miss anything, but easy to skip parts you don’t want to do. On the way around we got 2 more choc bars each and also a little taster pot of chocolate and toppings.
The green screen/car ride pictures are priced pretty much the same as any other attraction. We got 3 photos, 2 magnets and 2 key rings for £25.
Eventually the end comes to the shop which isn’t that badly priced, again probably on par with most other attractions. Some of the chocolates were def cheaper though.
We went to the restaurant after we had finished in the shop and were seated almost immediately. There are menus on the table and you head to the till to order and they bring your food and drink to your table.
The food was superb! Portion sizes great, food well cooked and tasted great too. My daughter couldn’t finish her pizza and there was no issue getting a box to bring the rest home. It was about £60 for 5 mains and 5 drinks.
Can’t fault the day at all, or the staff and if we were closer, I would def return. Sadly it’s a bit far to go so unlikely we will return unless we are doing something else in the local area.

I’m sorry to say this Cadbury’s. but the tour was awful, and for me this has damaged your reputation.
It has actually put me off buying your products as I feel ripped off. As do the other people who joined me.

Just to set the scene a little. Our group consisted of 2 couples, late twenties early 30’s with no kids. We drove from Colchester which was 3 hours each way and tickets cost about £85 in total for the group. I had been recommended this by people at work but I’m guessing they went many years ago perhaps when you could view areas of the factory in operation.

This tour could have been anywhere in the UK. We saw no operation of chocolate manufacturing. It was extremely gimmicky with lots of plastic displays of chocolate. All we saw was videos of the various processes. Learnt about the history of chocolate. I could have gone on YouTube to learn this. There were people doing talks with warmed up chocolate slapping them in moulds and sticking it back in the machine to be melted which was also labelled as non edible chocolate. It was boring for us and I could only imagine how bored children were by it. Exhibitions had no consistency? One minute we were in an old street, the next room was weird disco DJ room at the end? The corridors were drab and depressing walking between events. We were given 4 chocolate bars each. Save your self the money and spend a pound at the supermarket.

4d cinema was the only thing we all enjoyed however I did see the lady cleaning about 150 pairs of 3D glasses with the same sanitation wipe? Perhaps do this back of house rather than in-front of people as they enter the 4d cinema as it looks unprofessional?

Things that could done much better?

Don’t charge £10 to get a key ring and picture emailed as it’s a rip off. If people post pictures of this visit on social media then other people would probably book a trip. Business basics?

Perhaps get a few coco beans so people can hold them, smell it and see what it’s about.

Have samples of the chocolate at the different processes, crumb, solids, oils, butter etc so you get a sense of what it is. What it tastes like and what it smells like.

Have a viewing screen of the live factory operations. You dont need to see the secret stuff but I’m sure all the adults wanted to see the production process and the engineering aspects.

Cadburys are seriously missing the mark with this. This is the meca of uk chocolate and when people drive this far and pay this much it doesn't represent good value for money. When you look at the reviews from average to poor, it represents nearly 30% of the reviews. John Cadbury would be rolling in his grave if this is his lasting legacy.

Regards Rob

We visited with a 10 month old in a stroller.
The venue clearly invested a lot of effort in their offering. A lot of it consists of history and facts, but really what else can one expect? There are interactive experiences, of which the 4D cinema was our favourite.
Lots of sanitiser stations and toilets available. We went super early but the place was packed by 11, so I’d recommend arriving when they open if you really want to experience the 4D cinema. Food stalls only open at 11, as do some of the “live” shows outside. Plan to stay at least three hours and remember there is a sizable outside area to be visited after the inside tour… this is where kids can run around, play, see shows and the 4D cinema (incl in ticket price).
Overall the experience offers great value for money if you’re taking kids there.
We did not eat at the instore cafe; it seemed to be a canteen-type experience with pizza on the menu, amongst other things.

By the time we left around 11am kids everywhere were bouncing off the walls…
Ge there early because in order to proceed through the indoor tour one has to be corralled into not one but two “theatres” along the way. These can’t be skipped, so if the place is busy you’re going to have to wait around in a closed in area for your turn to get in (and out of) the theatres, which tell the story of the history of Bournville/Cadbury with shaky benches.

If you’re a Cadbury fan, you definitely have to go, but go as early as possible, especially if you have an infant, toddler or wheelchair-type mobility requirement.

This was our first trip so wasn’t sure what to expect, we booked our tickets online, but it was very quiet so we could have just bought at the counter
We were given 4 chocolate bars on entering the exhibition, there are various sections throughout the exhibition, some are on different floors, but there is a lift if you need it. I found the whole experience interesting and there are several interactive areas to keep you interested. We got several more bars of chocolate as we went round
My favourite bit was the cheesy ride, more for kids but adults can ride it
The exhibition ends in the gift shop which has exclusive chocolate as well as a large range of chocolate and gifts
There is a coffee shop/cafe in the lobby but we didn’t use it so couldn’t comment on it
There is a 4D ride around the outside of the building which is one of the best I have been on in this country, there is also a large kids play area, which was being revamped while we were there
I had a great time and would recommend a visit

This is one of those places that I've been aware of for years and never got around to going, although before the kids I'm not really sure I'd have wanted to go, although there were many people in there in childless couples so clearly I might be alone in this. Anyhow we went as a family, two young children. The first thing that's obvious is an attempt to control the queue, as you can't enter the queue until your timeslot, so probably best not to arrive early as you'll be cooling your jets for a while with very little to do, although you could visit the 4D cinema and the outdoor play area, which was fairly soggy on the day we turned up. Anyhow I guess there are timeslots for a reason and it did make the rest of the queues bearable as the whole trip is pretty much a procession, which starts dull. History of chocolate in a darkened construction that felt a little like a museum and felt a little creepy to the little ones, then on to a screechy young girl giving a brief overview of the history before you got two more overviews from talking heads projected on the wall, at this point the kids really just want to eat the chocolate they were given on entrance. But it improves from there on, there's some "hands on" chocolate skills, some chocolate sampling a green screen and s short ride on a ride that was controlled by a more shrill youngsters with at best a rudimentary understanding of children, thereon it was out through the giftshop and into the 4d cinema which was enjoyable enough. My concerns abour the place would be that I would firmly suggest this is strictly for the kids, theres very little of interest for adults and yet the place didn't seem geared towards children, the toilets were all adult sized toilets, the interactive screens too high for little ones to really interact with, no steps to stand on for chocolate skills, the glasses in the 4d cinema all adult size etc etc. Even the chocolates given out were standard adult sized chocolates. Having said that the kids enjoyed it well enough and they both said they would come again.

As person before me has wrote, we also came to Cadbury World today. It was completely jam-packed to full capacity today (to be expected - first weekend of holidays/cold wet day great for indoor attractions). So immediately there's that added stress to rush and less freedom to move about.

Brought my 2 young kids aged 3 and 5, they loved the jungle, all the chocolate we received, the car ride, and the purple planet room was a big hit. They loved the exciting chocolate history rooms, was fun for adults too.

We unfortunately did not go to the 4D experience, it was a horrendously long wait for my young children (and for us parents) 1 hour!! There was just no chance we were waiting around that long. It may be a good idea to assign time slots to guests just like how we enter into the main entrance. (unsure of the 10 minute time slot purpose though).

We would come again despite this, perhaps in a couple years when both children are better suited to cope with queues, and we'd come either first thing or last thing.

We visited Cadbury world today, and was very disappointed with the whole experience if I’m honest.
I know that COVID has made things difficult but a lot of things were closed, like the face painting and the cafe.
We were hoping to have a proper cadbury hot chocolate and the ice creams that are advertised at the entrance etc but sadly nothing was open.
I’m not sure why either as COVID restrictions have eased in the last few weeks.

For three of us or was 50 odd pound and I don’t feel like it was worth it as there wasn’t much to see and not very child friendly as there was a lot to read rather than to show children and no magic.

We felt very rushed going through all the places and the best was the car ride which was magical and if there was more things like that I would recommend it. But we couldn’t only go on this once. Which was a shame.
I don’t think we would return if it stays the same it has so much more potential than what we saw today.

For example chocolate foundations, dispensers of chocolate, the Cadbury characters coming to life.
My 6 year old step daughter has so many ideas for the place. So maybe they need to ask for new ideas from children’s with imagination