Today we were lucky enough to be guests at Cadbury World for an exclusive blogger day, so we could experience all the festive fun that they have laid on for their Christmas Celebration weekends, which run until December 21st. After an early start, we arrived at Cadbury World in the heart of Bourneville where we enjoyed a welcome drink before heading off to see Santa in his magical themed grotto.
The grotto was lovely with twinkling lights, woodland animals and Christmas tunes playing as we queued. We were shown into the festively decorated log cabin, where Santa was sitting in his fabulous chair. Freddy had been looking forward to seeing Santa and happily told him what was on his Christmas list. (The Vtech Smart Watch is what he hopes to find under the tree this year!) The children received small gifts and we had a family photo taken. The visit to Santa is included in the admission price to Cadbury World, which I think is really good, and photos and photo gifts can be purchased if wanted.
New to Cadbury World is the fantastic 4D Chocolate Adventure, a 3D film with added special effects. We absolutely loved it! The film gave us the experience of diving into a lake of liquid chocolate, flying in a Creme Egg air ship and riding a chocolate Crunchie roller coaster. The favourite Cadbury characters from the TV ads, Freddo, Mr Cadbury's Parrot, Caramel Bunny and the drumming gorilla starred in the show. The 3D was great and we were so tempted to reach out at the chocolate on the screen, just in case we could actually grab it. The 4D cinema is a great new attraction zone and definitely worth a visit. Listening to Freddy oohing, ahhing, giggling and laughing was brilliant. It was his first 4D cinema experience and he really enjoyed it.
After lunch, the children met the Cadbury Chuckle Beans, who were dressed in Santa Suits, for a photo opportunity. Freddy always enjoys meeting characters. They really add a bit of magic to days out.
We loved the giant chocolate Christmas tree and the exploding chocolate filled cracker that decorated the main reception area in front of the cafe. The Cadbury Cafe does a family meal deal where 4 regular drinks and 4 hot meals costs £24.95.
We then headed to Pantoland to take our seats for the exclusive pantomime, Snow White and the Chuckle Beans. The much loved tale was given a chocolatey twist as Snow White celebrated her birthday with her best friend Muddles and the handsome prince. But the Evil Queen had a plan to ruin the day and make herself the fairest of them all by killing Snow White with a poisoned apple. The panto included a funny rendition of the 12 Days of Christmas that involved a 'brand new water pistol' instead of a 'partridge in a pear tree' which meant we all got squirted by Muddles after every verse. It was lovely to see Freddy and the other kids all getting involved and joining in with the story. They boo'd the queen, shouted hello to Muddles and yelled warnings to Snow White. It was really enjoyable and was just the right length to avoid little ones getting fed up. After the show we were lucky enough to meet the cast and have a photo taken. A visit to the panto is included in the admission price.
We were then free to enjoy the Cadbury World Tour. There was plenty of festive flair with decorations, trees and staff in costumes to ensure the Christmassy feeling continued as we made our way through each zone.
The tour has so much to see and do and we learned all about the history of chocolate, how it is made and the story of Cadbury. Freddy loved all the hands on exhibits and interactive activities. He likes pressing buttons, turning knobs and pushing levers!
Kizzy loved the fact that we were each given four full size bars of chocolate and a cup of melted chocolate in the Chocolate Making zone! We saw a chocolate making demonstration, watched the artisans at work, had a look at the production line in action, had a green screen experience and saw nostalgic advertising campaigns from years gone by.
The Cadabra ride was a big hit with Freddy who loved driving around the Chuckle Beans' hometown, in a Beanmobile, seeing all their little houses and discovering the magic of Cadbury. It's perfect for little people.
At the end of the tour is the world's biggest Cadbury shop filled with their chocolates as well as exclusive gifts, toys, branded merchandise and unique handmade chocolate products (there were amazing chocolate teapots, stilettos and footballs!) You can also buy specially made Christmas hampers packed with chocolatey goodies that looked amazing. We enjoyed picking up a few gifts for the family and because we spent over £20 we received a free teddy bear, which was lovely.
We had such a fabulous day and Freddy said it was "The Best Day Ever!" Having the extra Christmas entertainment really makes it a special day out for families looking for some festive fun in the run up to Christmas.
If you want to visit, I'd recommend booking in advance because the attraction sold out of tickets on the door by lunchtime while we were there. Cadbury World is very popular! A family ticket is £48.80 (two adults and two children) and under 4s are free. This includes a visit to Santa, a gift for each child and the Christmas pantomime.
