• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

Cadbury World - Merlin Take Over

It was another fantastic attraction in those glorious Early 2000s.

You used to take a carrier bag to fill up, learnt about the history of chocolate. From the Aztecs discovering Cocoa beans to the journey back to glorious England.

You heard speaches from Fry and Cadbury, went through and watched a film on a BENCH with added movement. Loads of interactive bits.

Then you arrived at the best bit, watching the chocolate made, watching the conveyor belts transport fruit and nut bars along. The weirdest dark ride ever (got several mugs with ORPs on!), Walked through some advertising bits and ended up in the shop with a carrier bag full of free chocolate.

Later on there was the outside bit with another film and then liquid chocolate to cover your favourite sweet in.

Finally you could go back to the shop and buy huge 5kg bars of chocolate.

Those were the days.
 
MattyH said:
It was another fantastic attraction in those glorious Early 2000s.

You used to take a carrier bag to fill up, learnt about the history of chocolate. From the Aztecs discovering Cocoa beans to the journey back to glorious England.

You heard speaches from Fry and Cadbury, went through and watched a film on a BENCH with added movement. Loads of interactive bits.

Then you arrived at the best bit, watching the chocolate made, watching the conveyor belts transport fruit and nut bars along. The weirdest dark ride ever (got several mugs with ORPs on!), Walked through some advertising bits and ended up in the shop with a carrier bag full of free chocolate.

Later on there was the outside bit with another film and then liquid chocolate to cover your favourite sweet in.

Finally you could go back to the shop and buy huge 5kg bars of chocolate.

Those were the days.
Click to expand...

You never actually got to watch chocolate being made for proper sale, even in the 90s it was just the quick look at the wrapping area.
The only production was some stuff being made to sell in the Cadbury World shop, but that might have got replaced with the bit where you pipe and have a go at making yourself instead.

But my last trip was probably 15 years ago and I remember the 4D type show with the moving bench about how chocolate is made and the pre-show in a Victorian Street about the Cadbury founders. I think NuttySquirrels description missed those out as they would have been there I think.

They've never described it as a factory tour though its been clearly said ever since it opened that you only get to see a very small part of the packaging area. Back in the 90s you wouldn't see that at the weekends anyway as they didn't work weekends! Some of that space was then taken up with the tracked dark ride to Beanland (or whatever it is), so the packaging area you see got even smaller.
 
I remember going in the late 2000’s and in the museum area you could see behind the glass part of the factory where robots were loading the chocolate bars into boxes. Not sure when this was blocked off as was gutted I couldn’t show my daughter on my last visit in 2018.
I went in the early 90’s with my parents and Sister but I don’t remember much but from my last visit in 2018 to my 2nd visit in 2007/08 the tour itself was roughly the same with just the last area and the ads area updated and the 4D cinema replacing a projector tour and how Mr Cadbury started out and grew the business.
 
jon81uk said:
You never actually got to watch chocolate being made for proper sale, even in the 90s it was just the quick look at the wrapping area.
The only production was some stuff being made to sell in the Cadbury World shop, but that might have got replaced with the bit where you pipe and have a go at making yourself instead.

But my last trip was probably 15 years ago and I remember the 4D type show with the moving bench about how chocolate is made and the pre-show in a Victorian Street about the Cadbury founders. I think NuttySquirrels description missed those out as they would have been there I think.

They've never described it as a factory tour though its been clearly said ever since it opened that you only get to see a very small part of the packaging area. Back in the 90s you wouldn't see that at the weekends anyway as they didn't work weekends! Some of that space was then taken up with the tracked dark ride to Beanland (or whatever it is), so the packaging area you see got even smaller.
Click to expand...
Yeah sorry I forgot about the Victorian Street. I think we're talking 15-20 years ago here, my memory is patchy! No recollection of a 4D cinema at all!

I guess for what it is/was it was a bit of fun, maybe the issue was me was expecting it to be a factory tour when it plainly isn't.
 
Before Kraft bought them in their attempt to take over the world and ended up closing it and sacking everyone, they used to do full tours in their Keynsham factory. The dad of a mate I went to school with used to work there and we used to get full tours. It was awesome. I remember one day completing Streets of Rage on 2 player co-op with him before his dad drove us to the factory to see all the chocolate being made. No Oompa Loompas or fizzy lifting drinks or anything which was disappointing, just a load of overweight middle aged west country guys wearing hairnets pressing buttons on machines.

Man do I miss the 90's. Now, Fry's original factory has some posh overpriced flats built on it and Bournville is now better known as a council estate where the first under 18's in the country were served ASBO's around these parts rather than a chocolate bar.
 
The Cadbury World website has now been updated to the Merlin version. Tickets still aren’t on sale but they are showing packages of multi attraction tickets to combine visits with Sealife/Lego Birmingham and Warwick Castle.

In a mildly amusing twist Merlin are now finding themselves recommending this hotel to Cadbury World visitors.

16A4EE04-4CC8-46E4-88A7-1E202A4DCB75.jpeg
 
AT86 said:
The Cadbury World website has now been updated to the Merlin version. Tickets still aren’t on sale but they are showing packages of multi attraction tickets to combine visits with Sealife/Lego Birmingham and Warwick Castle.

In a mildly amusing twist Merlin are now finding themselves recommending this hotel to Cadbury World visitors.

16A4EE04-4CC8-46E4-88A7-1E202A4DCB75.jpeg
Click to expand...
I wouldn't be stopping in Redditch 😂
 
Danny said:
If there weren't any obvious signs Merlin had taken over beforehand, there certainly are now...

1674586972909.png
Click to expand...
All that without mentioning a "World First" or trying to flog extortionately priced overnight stays.

What do we think guys, a big sign at the end of the "tour" saying "Did you Know? Birmingham Sea Life is just down the road!"? All of which is spelt incorrectly of course.
 
Tom said:
I expect it will be added to the Merlin's annual passes at some point. Many think it won't but the Blackpool things and Bear Grylls were. Also, in their eyes it'd be a good reason to increase pass prices.
Click to expand...
Not sure...Sandcastle isn't apparently, but time will tell.
Sandcastle desperately needs bodies in there to pay the leccy bill.
 
I have a feeling there will be some sort of passholder discount at some point for Cadbury world and possibly sandcastle, a bit like how you get 20% off Towers Water Park with a merlin pass. Cadbury World can get booked up fast especially during school holidays, I think adding it to the merlin pass line up fully might cause them all sorts of problems.
 
I sometimes watch Jenonthemove on YouTube. In the below video, she visits Bournville station. And doesn’t recommend Cadbury World.

She’s so right. It’s overrated. I visited last year after wanting to go after seeing the TV documentary about it…I soon realised after coming home it’s not hyped up to be as they say it is.

 
RyanUK said:
I sometimes watch Jenonthemove on YouTube. In the below video, she visits Bournville station. And doesn’t recommend Cadbury World.

She’s so right. It’s overrated. I visited last year after wanting to go after seeing the TV documentary about it…I soon realised after coming home it’s not hyped up to be as they say it is.

Click to expand...


I haven’t been to Cadbury World in probably 15 years but went 3-4 times before that and always enjoyed it. The 4D cinema on how chocolate is made was interesting and the history of Cadbury and their advertising was worth learning about. Not sure what you were expecting but I never felt disappointed by it. Do some people really expect to be walking round a chocolate factory? It’s just a museum really and Cadbury World have always made that very clear I thought.
 
To be honest I had it in my head to be more of an amusement themed adventure, only indoors and on a tour. The old factory and grounds are nice, and I enjoyed the area where there’s a lot a museum and a cabinet full of old cups. Bournville itself is nice with its Cadbury theme highlighted in certain places like lampposts and the station. And the nearby cricket pavilion is nice too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top