Best walking shoes for WDW and why?

[luvitmoreachtime]

Okay, I know this has been done before but this is for us relative newbies. Anyone want to weigh in on the subject and also if you have opinions on the best socks. I always get blisters from the seam on every pair of socks I have tried. HELP!!!!!

 

[I_Believe_In_Faries]

Best walking shoes for wdw has to be hands down the crocs! I didnt believe any one that told me this but broke down and bought a pair for our last trip up there and they worked amazingly! While my mom,sis,her friend and my friend were all complaining that there feet hurt I was perfectly fine. This isnt what usually happens. Im usually the first to complain of my knees and ankles hurting cause I had messed them up during a Track accident in 7th grade. So deff. invest on some of the crocs! Its worth it!

 

[MimiKay]

CROCS, CROCS, CROCS!! It's just hard to explain until you wear them! I always would get blisters on my little toe until crocs!

 

[dance2874]

I am interested to see if anyone can suggest something OTHER than Crocs. I like them but my feet are still tired and sore after a less than full day at the mall in mine, not to mention at Disney. This will be my first real trip as an adult so I need something comfy and practical. I have horrible feet and heel spurs so I am afraid Crocs are not going to cut it for me.

 

[sneetch]

I always wear the teva pretty rugged sandals when I visit Disney. I never get blisters, they're water proof so you don't have to worry about walking around in soggy sneakers if it rains or after going on water rides, and since they are sandals you won't have to worry about socks.

 

[MeLaNie9]

I started out our recent trip in my usually comfy New Balance tennis shoes (I wore them to play volleyball in all the time) and my feet were sore and blistered after one half day. I then wore my Nike ACG sport sandals the rest of the trip and they were awesome. No blisters, no soreness, no pain, and they are quick drying. I recently bought a pair of the Airwalk Croc knock-offs and while I find them comfortable, my feet and shins do get sore if I wear them for long periods of walking. My feet also get hot in them, so I doubt that the real Crocs would be something I would want to walk around all day in.

 

[Laurajean1014]

Teva, Keen or Merrell are my favoite sandals. I don't wear Crocs (can't get past the bad looks and rubber smell), and I don't wear sneakers (too confined and make my feet sweat).

I love a good pair of sandals. I buy two different types and change off each day. So, if I do a marathon day, my feet will lose the memory of the pressure from the other sandal.

Do you have wide/narrow feet? Are you normal weight or pooh sized? These factors weigh heavily on your choice of shoe and how comfy the sandal will be on you. Timberland makes great sandals and they are wide width. Cole Haan makes awesome shoes but they tend to be narrower widths.

Wide band rocketdogs are comfy (the marshmellow sandals from a few years back). If you get a wide enough tong, you can go all day long in those babies.

Let me know and I can help find you what you need.

 

[krissyh]

Get a good pair of athletic shoes. Your legs, feet and back will feel better for it.
I normally only wear them to work out but when at Disney, I wear them unless I'm changing for a nice dinner.
I am very prone to blisters also. I ALWAYS carry band-aids or moleskin in my bag (lots of them!) I tend to get blisters in the same spots all the time and at the first sign of rubbing, I put the huge bandaids on that spot to prevent it. Where is the area you get them? Could you put athletic tape "prewrap" all around that area?

 

[danalee]

When we went last year everybody had different styles, shapes, sizes of shoes! But the best thing we did is after a long day in the park(dont laugh ) we all did a peppermint treatment on our feet.

I know, I know it sound a little crazy but I am telling you WOW it felt great and our little tootsies were up and running for the next day!

I bought Peppermint scrub, foot soak, gel and lotion all 10 of us used it and only my MIL got blissters, but of course she knows everything and just used her mole skin

and also in the morning before heading out we all sprayed our feet with deoderant.
We had the best smelling feet in all the "world"

 

[treehugger]

Merrell sandals (I believe the style I have is the Reactor) Never a blister, never tired feet or legs and I am post hip replacement! I love the liner, support and most importantly traction and stability that they provide.

 

[AKLRULZ]

I'm a sandal and flip flop kinda guy - I only wear sneakers to work out or run it, otherwise they're way too hot. Teva is my preferred choice of sandal - I've never had a blister ever.

 

[Amyg]

After all the rave reviews on Crocs flip flops, I bought a pair of Athens II for my trip and was sadly dissappointed! They don't have enough support for my feet so I only wore them at the pool.

I went to a running shoe store, explained by foot situation (wide feet w/ball of foot pain) and they recommened a particular Adidas, I don't remember what the specific shoe name is. I sprayed my feet daily to help with sweat, wore socks that have "Coolmax", used the Dr. Scholl's walking inserts and I never had problems. I told my DH that I couldn't believe how great my feel felt after all the pain I normally have walking around! I also brought moleskin just in case; you have to apply a patch as soon as you feel a "hot spot".

Good luck!

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

I wore Keen Newports last year to WDW and never got a blister. I will be taking them again in 25 days!!

 

[Master Mason]

Birkenstocks, but make sure you have worn them for a month or so before you go. I have been reading all about the crocs and just got a pair of Athens to try, they are very comfortable, but I am not used to the thing between the toes, I think it would hurt after half a day or so unless I wear them a lot more.

Big suggestion is have 2 pairs of differnt shoes that are good, as a previous poster noted, that way the presure points are a bit different.

Also, it is very very rare that my feet hurt, but after a day in the park in tennis shoes, my back kills me, thats why I wear the birks.

 

[Castillo Mom]

Tevas! I only bought one pair of Teva Elixer flip flops last trip and two other pairs of flip flops of another brand. The Tevas were way more comfortable. No blisters and plenty of support for my bad feet. Another plus is that many of their flip flops are waterproof which is great for water rides or those afternoon downpours that sometimes occur during summer.

If you click on the link below you'll notice the different styles - those with an arch and thicker sole are better for those long hours walking.

http://www.teva.com/productslist.aspx?categoryid=38&mnu=womens&page=1

 

[mking624]

I typically wear my Tevas...the pretty rugged sandals. I love them and never have to worry about them being soggy or anything since they are water proof. I did buy a pair of Crocs recently (the Mary Janes style) and really love how comfortable they are. I couldn't stand the look of Crocs, but I do like the new styles of the Mary Janes and Prima Ballets (they're exclusive to the Journeys store...journeys.com). Also, don't leave out the possibility of good old fashioned gym shoes designed specifically for walking. I usually don't enjoy wearing them at Disney sincee my feet feel confined and hot in them.

 

[Snork]

I wear my old birkinstocks for max comfort. I also buy a new pair of New Balance a month before we go and wear those to work to break them in (I work warehouse retail).

My wife on the other hand buys a new pair of Rocketdogs a month before we go and breaks them by working up her stamina by going on daily walks. The distance gradually increases. Breaks in the shoes and gets her ready for miles and miles of Disney walking.

 

[utilidor]

Another vote for Birkenstocks - break them in and you won't find a better, more comfortable or supportive shoe out there. There's a reason they've been around 40+ years.

 

[barneythebassett]

Teva sandals....no soggy shoes and socks.....they were way more comfortable than my New Balance tennis shoes.

 

[mking624]

Another vote for Birkenstocks - break them in and you won't find a better, more comfortable or supportive shoe out there. There's a reason they've been around 40+ years.

True, but long time lines for shoes can be said of several companies:
Nike - 30+ years
Adidas - technically between 70-80 years when the founder began making shoes...it officially became Adidas over 50 years ago
Teva - 20+ years (prototype sbeing made in 1984, and it was introduced to Deckers Outdoor Corp. in 1985)

Anyway, I think you get the point. I've never tried Birkenstocks, so I can't give an opinion on its comfort, but just wanted to show that there's more than one company who has a "history" for its shoes...and there are reasons for that as well.

Carry on.