Cadbury World

image taken from wikipedia Cadbury World page

I had the fortune to visit Cadbury World this weekend. I went as a chaperone to a Girl Guide group, a lucky chance for me as I have been angling to go since I discovered its existence in December. I easily could have made the track to chocolate heaven on my own, but what good is candy when you have no one to share it with? And because my partner and friends have archery competitions nearly every weekend, I had to wait until May to finally get my visit in. In the end, the wait proved to be in my favor as I didn't have to pay. I counted down the days until Saturday all week, I was so excited that I didn't even mind waking earlier on a Saturday. 

However, while I adored Cadbury World and plan to go again during Halloween season, I am unsure if it lived up to my expectations. Perhaps if I hadn't been chasing after hyper seven year olds, and had time to linger at displays I would have found the experience more enjoyable. But, overall I believe the flaw with Cadbury World was that I didn't get to see much of the factories workings. I know from the informational cinema that the chocolate was made in the building, but I only had a brief glimpse in the viewing gallery. For my 21st Birthday, I went in a tour of the Budweiser brewing factory, and found it extremely educational and enjoyable because it had booze. I imagined that Cadbury World would be like my beer tour, but with chocolate(something I infinitely prefer to beer). But I had no tour guide, didn't get to see the cocoa beans turned into chocolate, and I honestly think I needed more free samples. It was down right cruel to be surrounded by the smell of melted chocolate but only being able to taste 1 small melted cup.

 One attraction stands out as the highlight of my chocolate adventure. On the upper floor of Cadbury World is a small train ride that takes riders through forest, town, and iceberg themed rooms filled with dancing "chuckle beans". Being from America, I had no clue what a chuckle bean was, this caused the Girl Guides to dissolve into a fit of giggles over my ignorance. Chuckle beans are small egg shaped chocolate people. They are the Cadbury version of Oompa Loompas. I fell in love with their adorable ness. The train ride through the chuckle bean world was absolutely enchanting. 

Another attraction worth mentioning is the 4D theater bits. It is something I have noticed growing increasingly popular in all tourist type places. The moving chairs, blowing air and bubbles really do enhance the experience. I really hope it becomes a trend that transfers into the regular movie cinema, I will no longer be satisfied with just 3D glasses, I want my chair to shake if a movie depicts an earthquake! It would be worth the money.

Overall, I would give Cadbury World a 6 out of 10 on a scale of awesomeness. I recommend going when you have plenty of time to explore and enjoy all the extra bits like the green screen photo studio and face painting. Don't be fooled into thinking this chocolate wonderland is a place for parents and their children, I saw plenty of adult couples going in on their own.