Today marked the opening date of Cadbury Chocolate Quest, a brand new trackless dark ride from ETF as we saw the old Cadabra ride close its doors for good.

Cadabra opened in 1997 and brought joy to millions at Cadbury World but 2024 marked its official closure and Cadbury Chocolate Quest has been built on the lower floor of Cadbury World and Friday, March 29th marked its official opening to the public.
The ride was opened as part of a wide £8 million investment by Cadbury World and in line with the 200-year anniversary of the Cadbury brand this year.

Guests hop onboard the beautifully designed trackless dark ride and go through a chocolate wonderland gun in hand ready to shoot everything in sight as we see a chocolate bar designed before our very eyes.
None of the Cadbury Chocolate Quest ride feels cheap which I was surprised by as usually Merlin is well known for being lazy with their dark rides at huge big-budget theme parks let alone chocolate-themed attractions in Birmingham but I was very impressed.
It’s by no means world-class but screens, smells, 4D effects and a chocolate waterfall feature combine for quite a family fun experience that was rather enjoyable.
Vibrant sets aplenty and lots of interaction made Cadbury Chocolate Quest a fun ride indeed as you collect all the delicious ingredients needed to make a bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk which you get a bar of when you exit the ride.
Credit – Cadbury WorldThe 3D sets are rather impressive but the virtual screens do distract you from the details that surround you.
What lets Cadbury Chocolate Quest down is the fact that you can only ride it once, there’s no queue to go back around and jump on it again if you like which is a real shame as it’s not a long ride by any means.
Check out this video that goes more into detail about the brand-new attraction, revamped museum and brand-new for 2024 Have-A-Go Zone! 
 
There is onboard photography so get your smiling faces ready for your photo op as it’s fun, but it’s not quite Cadabra.
Cadabra had that magic and heart that has withstood the test of time and whilst this ride was impressive it sadly just doesn’t have that beauty and that immersive brilliance that Cadabra had.
It’s a real shame they couldn’t keep both attractions open but with all of that space now left upstairs that Cadabra occupied maybe there are plans afoot coming to Cadbury World in the future.
The new investments outside of the ride are certainly an improvement and with Merlin in charge, the sky is the limit for the future of this Birmingham Chocolate Factory attraction.