Best Shoe for WDW - Adults and Kids?

[gabriellewatson]

What are the absolute best shoes to wear to Disney World?

There is a lot of walking, but I am not sure whether it is a better to wear running/walking shoes with socks or crocs since we are going in September (2014), which happens to be VERY rainy, wet, etc.

Also, what are the best shoes for small children - ages 5 and 2? We will have a double stroller, so they won't be walking the entire time, but I don't want them to get blisters and I worry about their running shoes getting wet with socks...

What does everyone do about their shoes in WDW?

Thanks!!

 

[wysteria]

If they wont be walking much and you are worried about socks giving them blister, crocs or sandals should be fine for the kids?

One tip I have for adults is to wear two pairs of socks. With a lot of walking that helps prevent blisters.

 

[Jonathan Swift]

New Balance sneakers. Get the "real ones" preferable from a New Balance store, not a department store like Kohls. They're not the same.

Don't wear double socks. That's dumb advice. The reason you get blisters is due to sweat and rubbing. Get moisture wicking socks instead. Read this for more information: http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/socks.html

Timberland sometimes has 20%-40% off coupons and buy 2 get 1 free sales on packages of socks. If you have the time to wait, pounce on a deal and stock up.

 

[BDL]

New Balance sneakers. Get the "real ones" preferable from a New Balance store, not a department store like Kohls. They're not the same.

.

Seconded.

The sneakers com in all sizes and widths and prices. I'm lucky enough to have a New Balance Outlet the next town over from me. Being a 13 EEEE, I've pretty much given up on all other brands of sneakers.

 

[wiigirl]

I usually wear walking shoes or TOMS.

 

[Meshell2002]

What are the absolute best shoes to wear to Disney World?

There is a lot of walking, but I am not sure whether it is a better to wear running/walking shoes with socks or crocs since we are going in September (2014), which happens to be VERY rainy, wet, etc.

Also, what are the best shoes for small children - ages 5 and 2? We will have a double stroller, so they won't be walking the entire time, but I don't want them to get blisters and I worry about their running shoes getting wet with socks...

What does everyone do about their shoes in WDW?

Thanks!!

My kids and I wear Keens ....sandals with toe protection! We love them. They are not the best for wide feet....so my DH wears an active sandal in another brand.

 

[OKW Lover]

Please don't go by what somebody else wears for shoes at WDW. You know nothing about them. You don't know their sex, weight, shoe size, hight, gait, arch, how long their stride is, and a ton of other factors that affect how well a particular shoe will work with your feet. There are significant variations in shoes of the same brand as well.

 

[racinjunkie]

Please don't go by what somebody else wears for shoes at WDW. You know nothing about them. You don't know their sex, weight, shoe size, hight, gait, arch, how long their stride is, and a ton of other factors that affect how well a particular shoe will work with your feet. There are significant variations in shoes of the same brand as well.

That's good advice. What I did was I went through the various threads on here about shoes and wrote down the brands and how many times they were mentioned. Starting with the ones that were mentioned the most I tried to find local outlets where I could try them on, maybe buy a pair to try them out for a day. I went through 3 pairs that I was able to return and 4 pairs total before I hit on something I felt would work for me.

I would suggest identifying what your biggest issues are. For me I know I need a roomy area for my feet and arch support so I focused on shoes that discussed arch support and weren't too confining.

 

[Jonathan Swift]

The nice thing about going to a New Balance store, they will (hopefully) have a device to measure how you stand and find the shoe best for you. I have the 1540, but other people may not like it. The point is, they have lots of options for sneakers that fit differently. Other brands seem to concentrate more on color and styling to differentiate their various models.

 

[skakid]

For the adults I'd recommend going to a shoe store where they'll check your arch, gait, and such. I've got a local shoe store that is made for runners that does a great job at that so don't count a place like that out.

I wouldn't worry terribly about the little ones if you've got a double stroller.

 

[Yellosno]

I typically wear my nike flip flops that I wear everywhere and if I want full shoes I have my nike running shoes.

 

[gabriellewatson]

Thanks for all the responses. My husband and I will probably wear our Asics running shoes, since they are molded to our feet pretty good, and we've run miles and miles in them without issue.

I was more concerned about my children's feet, and I don't want to bring a shoes into the parks with me in addition to the shoes they are wearing on their feet, so I am thinking that I might invest in some 'Disney' crocs for my son and daughter, so I don't have to worry about their shoes getting wet in play areas, etc. I'll probably pack a pair of running shoes for each of them though in the suitcase. The crocs will be fine for pool areas too, me thinks

Now, when I went, oh many moons ago, I wore Nike Shox. They were fine, but they did get wet. I brought some keds with me, and there was a torrential downpour, so they were soaked and rubbed blisters on my ankles I likely will not bring another pair of Keds due to that experience, but they were comfortable (when they weren't wet).

I had forgot to bring flip flops for pool areas, so I bought some Reefs at Blizzard Beach (I still have them too), but I'll probably invest in another pair at least a few months before the trip, so I can break them in.

I was purely curious what everyone else was wearing for comfort, style, etc down in Disney. I think on our last trip my husband wore Nike Cortez and Puma's interchangeably.

We want to pack lightly (as best as we can), and only bring shoes we know we will wear for all parties in our little family!

Thanks!!

 

[wishing4PA]

We had the advantage of not having to pack light since we drove with only 2 of us in the car. I wound up alternating crocs with socks and running shoes with socks. We also had water shoes for the water park day and I had the more "dressy" crocs for when I was just going to be walking around the resort. The first day I wore the (regular) crocs without the socks for a half day at parks. I figured I could skip the socks since I wouldn't be walking as much. So I got a small blister on each foot and had to wear bandaids the next day. No more going without socks for me!
I hope you have a great trip!

 

[Sadie22]

Seconded.

The sneakers com in all sizes and widths and prices. I'm lucky enough to have a New Balance Outlet the next town over from me. Being a 13 EEEE, I've pretty much given up on all other brands of sneakers.

DS said the outlet near him doesn't have much in his size. He's going next to the relatively new New Balance store I discovered when prepping for my upcomng trip.

 

[rachael95]

Just be sure you double check the size. If you're being helped by someone. I went to the Walking Company to get a pair of sandals. I'd wanted Keen but I have wide feet so those were out. The very nice lady had me stand on that little doodad, agreed I had wide feet. Explained it would be pretty much impossible to find wide width sandals like I wanted and suggested I try their brand of Abeo because the regular width shoe ran wide.

I tried it on and I said it seemed a bit narrow to me, but she insisted it just needed to be loosened a touch and would be perfect for me. Said be sure to wear them a day to try it out. (Of course, if you wear them a day, you can't return them). I bought them. Wore them a day. They were ok but definitely more narrow than I needed so even though I can get away with the shoe, it won't be AS comfortable as I wanted. Then, I discovered she'd actually sold me a narrow width shoe. Guess she needed to make her commision and figured I wouldn't catch it since I was shopping with my two boys (DH and DS) who were both not wanting to be there and I was feeling a bit rushed. I didn't catch it until it was too late to return the shoe. I have not mentioned this to DH who was not wanting to buy the shoes in the first place.

 

[gabriellewatson]

Just be sure you double check the size. If you're being helped by someone. I went to the Walking Company to get a pair of sandals. I'd wanted Keen but I have wide feet so those were out. The very nice lady had me stand on that little doodad, agreed I had wide feet. Explained it would be pretty much impossible to find wide width sandals like I wanted and suggested I try their brand of Abeo because the regular width shoe ran wide.

I tried it on and I said it seemed a bit narrow to me, but she insisted it just needed to be loosened a touch and would be perfect for me. Said be sure to wear them a day to try it out. (Of course, if you wear them a day, you can't return them). I bought them. Wore them a day. They were ok but definitely more narrow than I needed so even though I can get away with the shoe, it won't be AS comfortable as I wanted. Then, I discovered she'd actually sold me a narrow width shoe. Guess she needed to make her commision and figured I wouldn't catch it since I was shopping with my two boys (DH and DS) who were both not wanting to be there and I was feeling a bit rushed. I didn't catch it until it was too late to return the shoe. I have not mentioned this to DH who was not wanting to buy the shoes in the first place.

Oh no that is terrible. I don't know what kerns are but I have friends and family with wide feet who love Chacos. They swear by them. I don't think they are very pretty shoes but they are very popular with nature types. My cousin lives in hers. The whole family wore some recently on their summer Disney trip.

Sorry about that rotten experience. I am sure if you call customer service maybe they could help you out. I'd tell them exactly what you told us.

 

[Jonathan Swift]

If you paid with a credit card, especially American Express, they may be able to help you get your money back. It's worth a shot.

 

[jme829]

Just be sure you double check the size. If you're being helped by someone. I went to the Walking Company to get a pair of sandals. I'd wanted Keen but I have wide feet so those were out. The very nice lady had me stand on that little doodad, agreed I had wide feet. Explained it would be pretty much impossible to find wide width sandals like I wanted and suggested I try their brand of Abeo because the regular width shoe ran wide.

I tried it on and I said it seemed a bit narrow to me, but she insisted it just needed to be loosened a touch and would be perfect for me. Said be sure to wear them a day to try it out. (Of course, if you wear them a day, you can't return them). I bought them. Wore them a day. They were ok but definitely more narrow than I needed so even though I can get away with the shoe, it won't be AS comfortable as I wanted. Then, I discovered she'd actually sold me a narrow width shoe. Guess she needed to make her commision and figured I wouldn't catch it since I was shopping with my two boys (DH and DS) who were both not wanting to be there and I was feeling a bit rushed. I didn't catch it until it was too late to return the shoe. I have not mentioned this to DH who was not wanting to buy the shoes in the first place.

If you are able to return them, try a bigger size. I just bought a pair of the ABEO's (the Keen style) on sale for our upcoming trip. I usually buy a size 8 Wide in any shoe and they measured me (3 times..so I know it was right) and I actually measure between a 6 1/2-7. I stuck with an 8 only because while the right size fit, I know my fat feet will swell after walking all day. The width on them even with non-swollen feet is good (I need space near my toes) although maybe a little big, so they should be fine for me after walking all day. They are pretty comfortable too, I really had no breaking in time. I didn't care for the ABEO flip flops...way to tight and narrow for my liking. Keen's are too narrow for me, but the ABEO's fit fine.


FYI for others, the Walking Company (where I bought the above) also "scans" your feet to find arches, pressure spots, etc. to make sure you get a good fit.

 

[nananeliz]

I agree with the prior poster that said you have to find shoes that work well for you based upon your age, walking style, general footwear preferences, etc. However, a general tip that I found works for my family is for everyone to bring 2 different pairs of park shoes (generally sneakers with socks and good walking sandals) and rotate them. I tend to get more susceptible to blisters wearing the same pair day after day, but if I have two different pairs and alternate them, it gives my feet a break from having the same spots get rubbed two or more days in a row.

We do bring moleskin and band-aids, but have rarely needed them.

Another thing we do is bring a "rain bag" to the parks each day -- really a ziplock bag of Disney ponchos and a pair of flip-flops for everyone. If it starts raining (or if we're going on a ride where we might get wet) we stop where it's dry and swap out our regular shoes for flip flops. Keeps our "good" walking shoes and socks from getting wet and causing more foot irritation.

Nancy

 

[princesserinrose]

I recommend Nike Supercloud for adults... No blisters, very comfortable. Found mine at Kohl's. for kids, any comfortable sneaker, so that chances of getting blisters are lessened and so you don't lose any. (Little brother lost a croc once... Wasn't fun)