Christmas at Cadbury World

We went along at the weekend to Cadbury World‘s Christmas Celebration. We didn’t really know what to expect, but were wanting to visit as it’s somewhere we keep saying we must go to. We live in Birmingham, yet have never quite got round to visiting, despite the face that I live in a household of chocolate addicts! It’s actually the Husband that’s been most keen to go, and rest assured, the visit did live up to his expectations…..

So what’s it all about then? Well, in addition to the normal offerings on a Cadbury World visit, which I’ll share with you in just a moment, they’ve added some festivities to the trip. On entering, you’re greeted with what must surely be the best-looking Christmas tree ever?! Sadly, it’s not real!

Then we went off and visited with Santa in his little hut, where the children had a chat with him, told him what they’ll be wanting!, and received a lovely cuddly bear each. The Santa meet and free gift is part of the Christmas Celebrations Weekends, and my two enjoyed it. Little Man also loved meeting the Chuckle Beans (still clutching that bear, you’ll see!)

Boo never wants to go near people dressed up like this when she can’t see they’re just people, whereas Little Man absolutely loves it! Things like this really make his day, and he was very reluctant to say goodbye to them, and ensured they both had high fives before he left!

We took in the pantomime of Snow White and the Chuckle Beans, which we all enjoyed. On for half an hour, it was long enough to get us all involved and booing and cheering along with the cast, and not too long that Little Man’s attention started to wonder. It’s funny, well-acted and did get us feeling Christmassy. The Twelve Days of Christmas song is great and proper panto fare. Boo adored it all, and we were offered the very special privilege of a photo with the cast, which she jumped at, of course (note she has her bear, too!)

Then on to the parts of the day that are all here all year round. The Bournville Experience shares with us some of the history of Cadbury World, along with a lovely model of Bournville village and the factory, mock shop frontages and interactive screens…

We went along to the 4D Chocolate Adventure…

Now this promised to be fun, though I know I can’t ever do things like this as my motion sickness kicks in immediately, so I sat on a static chair, without the glasses! The kids were excited, but as soon as the chairs started moving (and they do move a fair bit!) and things started flying out of the screen at them, they were both in tears, poor things! So, I whisked them out of there and left the Husband to enjoy it, and he tells me it was very good! Just outside there are interactive screens and games, so the children were quite happy playing there whilst we waited for the film to finish.

We enjoyed the main tour itself. I’m not really sure what I’d expected, but it was much more to see and do than I’d imagined. I thought it would be more dry than it actually was. At 5 and 2, I’d say my pair are a little too young to really understand and make the most of the main tour. They enjoyed it, loved tasting the chocolate (oh yes, there’s fresh chocolate tasting!), and were happy with freebie chocolate bars you’re handed out as you go around, too! But there’s also information about how Cadbury’s came to be, which I found really interesting, and the chocolate-making process, and I’m sure all of that went totally over their heads.

We ended our trip with a ride on Cadabra. Clearly aimed at children, as it’s a gentle carriage ride through Beanville, with little cocoa beans waving and playing, I absolutely adored it! It was so sweet and such a lovely way to round off our trip. I want to just go on it again! We couldn’t take photos on that, but here’s a much prettier family showing it off to you!

Oh, and I also received this rather fabulous little gift, too. I kind of want to keep it to commemorate our lovely day out, but then that would surely be a waste, right?!

Cadbury World’s Christmas Celebrations Weekends are running every weekend from 22nd November, right up until Christmas, and advance booking is recommended. We really enjoyed our time there, and do allow a few hours for a visit. There is a cafe, and I noticed that the prices were reasonable and comparable to pub meal prices, which I thought good for an attraction such as this where you’re sort of captive! They do have festive food on offer now, too. There’s also a lovely outdoor play area that the kids kept spying, but it was all wet when we went – if it’s dry, children will love it! Oh, and who knows how long you’ll spend in the huge chocolate shop!

What do you think? Fancy a chocolatey day out?

Disclosure: We received entry to Cadbury World FOC for the purposes of this review, but all words and opinions remain my own.

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