Best footwear?...I can't do sneakers.

[saycindy]

Keen's, Merrell's, Khombu's, Chaco's- (all fit a bit different) To me they are all like sneakers but sandals with better support. I have many feet issues and they all are great options, personally I like Khombu's.

 

[glm777]

I tried a pair of the Sketchers GoWalk3 slip on and they felt wonderfully cushy. However, they were a little too narrow for my wide feet. I can't find them anywhere in a wide width. I was thinking about trying the men's size. I would imagine they are a little wider and I think a men's size 7 would fit. What do you all think?

 

[Bellhop97]

Sketchers hurt my feet so bad.. no arch support at all. I personally have worn flip flops at the parks with no problems.

 

[verleniahall]

croc sandles or flipflops - SO comfortable!

 

[MrsDuck]

I love my Merralls!

 

[ravenclawforever]

To the person asking about kids Keens sizing, boys and girls are the same and go up to a 6. Based on the Keens size chart, the kids 6 is closest to a womans 7.5 (though traditionally it should be an 8). I wear a 7.5 in most shoes (don't know about in keens because I've never tried the adult ones) and the kids 6 fits fine. I tried the 5 and they weren't long enough. Ideally a kids 5.5 would probably be my best size but they dont do half sizes for kids. Not a big deal though since they are so adjustable.

 

[Penguinempress]

I love my Teva Kayenta sandals, so much that I bought them in 4 different colors. I find them to be really comfortable (even for walking 20km+ a day at theme parks). You can get them wet and while they're sturdy and supportive, they still look girly enough to wear with a dress.

 

[6loversofdisney]

Does anyone have trouble with rubbing with the really strappy kind like the Tevas or Keens?

 

[Penguinempress]

I haven't had any issues with my Teva Kayenta shoes rubbing. But I have a pair of Teva Zirra sandals and I find the straps on those sometimes rub. The Kayenta straps across your foot are kinda stretchy so I think that makes them more comfortable (the Zirra straps are stiffer).

Does anyone have trouble with rubbing with the really strappy kind like the Tevas or Keens?

 

[mocame]

Does anyone have trouble with rubbing with the really strappy kind like the Tevas or Keens?

I have Teva Tirras and haven't had any problems with rubbing. Sometimes I used Body Glide on my feet and sometimes I didn't and either way, the sandals didn't rub.

 

[busymommy2pink]

Nope, no socks with my Keens. I wear them when I want my feet to stay cool!

PS Think about sunscreen on the tops of your feet. I always forget and have had some interesting tan lines there!

hahaha...it's funny, but the "keen tan" is my daughter's goal every summer lol. It looks so funny!! I thought her feet were dirty. That being said, we love keeens in this family! And I have crazy wide feet too.

Birkenstocks Birkenstocks Birkenstocks!!

Best shoes I've ever owned for Disney - no feet pain, no back pain, not leg pain. I've tried a lot of shoes. I normally wear orthotics in my runners because I have lower back issues. I asked my chiropractor what the best sandals would be for me, and he said Birkenstocks. I have bought two pairs, and never looked back. I love them. I can feel my feet go "ahhh" as soon as I slide my feet in... lol

I wanted to love my Birks, but the break in period was SO painful and long with my wide feet. And then the downpour at Disney made the cork start falling apart (my fault). I don't think I'll ever invest in them again

my years of wearing fashionable shoes (i.e., heels) and supportive shoes left my feet in terrible shape. I'd even been to a podiatrist. I read about 'barefoot' or 'minimalist' shoes and for three years now, I haven't had one minute of foot pain, and I have no more feet cramps. The theory behind the minimalist shoes is that supportive shoes cause our feet to be weak and, like our ancestors, feet were not designed to be supported. I wear Soft Star shoes at Disney, average 13 miles per day, and can wear the same shoes morning, noon, and night. I'm the only one in my group who doesn't have aching feet. They do take an adjustment period, tho', so unless you're able to walk barefoot comfortably now, you'd need a month to adjust. One of the unexpected benefits is that my balance has improved dramatically. I can literally balance on one foot and put my sock and shoe and lace it on the other foot -- without even wavering! Anyway, I'm not a paid consultant, I'm just thrilled to have found this solution. I feel like I'm wearing flannel pajamas on my feet.

I may check these out, I love being barefoot.




I read all the responses and no one suggest women's Saltwater Sandals, by far my favorites. Made of leather, short break in period, AND they are waterproof, so perfect for Disney downpours!!! I have these two styles, plus so many fun colors to choose from! :

 

[kwdw]

Vionic... my go-to brand now for non-sneaker shoes. They have wide-sizes and great arch support. Some models have slight heels, others are flats.

FYI - Birkenstocks hold up just great in the rain as long as you seal the cork when you buy them. They typically sell the cork sealer at the places where you can buy them in the first place. I've got a 10 year old pair that has been through rainy walks and washing the car. I purposefully where them someplace I'm going to get wet to give them a good cleaning every now and then. The only problem is that now I need a bit more cushion between my feet and the ground - so my Vionic slide sandals with their rubber soles are bit better for longer walking distances for me.

 

[BookGirl305]

q

 

[Deanie1]

On my last trip to WDW, I developed horrible blisters on my little toes while wearing the same running shoes I wore the year before. I am thinking the socks I had were a bit thicker than the ones I wore the year before. I ended up taking a morning off WDW and spent $80 in taxi fare to go to an outlet mall to find something else to wear. I found some Teva Tirras and wore them for the remainder of the trip. They were great but I did get a blister underneath the buckles on the tops of my feet. But, I still highly recommend them.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I recently got my first pair of Vionics and I like them so much, I bought another pair in a different color while they were still on sale.

I need arch support and Birkenstock's help me a lot, but as others have posted, you can't get them wet. Even if I sealed the cork as suggested by a PP, the footbed gets stinky and uncomfortable when it's wet. I want to try Birki's Madrid slide when I get over to Nordstrom.

OP, the one piece of advice I want to relate is to bring more than one or two pairs. I have found that even the most supportive shoe becomes irritating when you try to wear it too many days in a row.

 

[Prose]

I have wide feet. I mean, too wide for Skechers, too wide for Toms, too wide for basically anything sold at Shoe Carnival or DSW. We're talking Flintstone feet here. I have found that Merrills tend to run a bit wide, so have had decent luck with them. Also it sounds weird, but Easy Spirit has really come out with some cute shoes lately that come in both W and WW - Google their e360 and Explore24 lines. I am wearing the EZline walking shoes right now and they are crazy comfy - the sides around the instep are all elastic.

 

[afan]

I recently got my first pair of Vionics and I like them so much, I bought another pair in a different color while they were still on sale.

I need arch support and Birkenstock's help me a lot, but as others have posted, you can't get them wet. Even if I sealed the cork as suggested by a PP, the footbed gets stinky and uncomfortable when it's wet. I want to try Birki's Madrid slide when I get over to Nordstrom.

OP, the one piece of advice I want to relate is to bring more than one or two pairs. I have found that even the most supportive shoe becomes irritating when you try to wear it too many days in a row.

I love my Vionics, I have sandals and flip flops and will get another pair of sandals before my trip in November. I have super high arches and these are the most reasonably priced sandals/flip flops with enough arch support. If you don't need a lot of arch support then these wouldn't be a good shoe.

I wore my sandals around DC two days in a row walking about as much as we would in WDW over two days without issue. My sneakers were giving me problems and didn't have enough arch support.

Another option for those that don't want sandals is to have arch supports made for your sneakers. Running stores can mold them to your foot and will trim them to fit, mine has done chuck taylors and others. It's helpful if the arches for the shoes can come out. I have a pair for my running shoes and gym shoes and I can move the arch support to whichever shoe I'm wearing. It's made a huge difference in how my feet feel during and after a run. But I'll stick with the sandals at WDW or my toes will get very upset.

 

[oceanmarina]

I had bad feet (they hurt easily), I go with Easy Spirit or the Orthotic Vionic Sandals


http://www.vionicshoes.com/women/sandals.html

http://www.easyspirit.com/