Best shoes for the parks when it is HOT!

DisneyJen1969

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jul 18, 2010
We are going the last week in August and expect it to be HOT and rainy (afternoons). DH and I disagree on shoes to pack for ourselves and boys. He thinks tennies with socks. I'm leaning towards Crocs. Any thoughts or ideas of better shoes for touring this time of year?
 
We will also be there at that time and we have always worn Crocs in the past at Disney. If we get caught in a passing shower the Crocs dry faster than sneakers. We wear socks with them sometimes(it looks dumb but more comfy)
 
I wear Rockport tennis shoes. I can't imagine being without them. My daughter wears a spongy type shoe like Crocs but with backs. Slip off shoes didn't seem like a good idea for a seven year on rides. "Daddy, I left my shoes on Tower of Terror"
 
We are going the last week in August and expect it to be HOT and rainy (afternoons). DH and I disagree on shoes to pack for ourselves and boys. He thinks tennies with socks. I'm leaning towards Crocs. Any thoughts or ideas of better shoes for touring this time of year?

You are both correct! Seriously, my rule when traveling to WDW (especially in summer) is that everyone must have 2 pairs of comfortable shoes. This way, if your feet become uncomfortable you can switch. The kids and I did this on our most recent trip and our feet were fine. DH only brought one pair of sneakers and had major blisters and pain. Another thing to keep in mind is that it could likely rain a bit each day and wet tennis shoes are really uncomfortable. DS14 leans more to his sneakers and DS11, DD7 and I prefer the crocs, but we all switch occasionally. :thumbsup2
 
I'm a huge advocate for teva's. The strap type not the flip flops in the parks if I think they will get wet. The flip flops get slippery and I find my feet slip out of them. The strap kind I love though. They are made for getting wet as rafters use them. They dry super fast and I find that when I'm really hot I love to soak my feet as it really helps to cool me off as well as my kids! My daughter has used crocs and teva flip flops around the parks but her feet constantly tend to slip out of them and she is always needing to stop to put them back on. This year she is doing strap teva's.
 
My dh wears sneakers and socks every single day. The same sneakers, no less ... he never gets blisters.

Ds dd and myself wear crocs every single day and no blisters. I bring my sneakers, however, in case I have a plantar fasciitis (sp?) flare up or if I have recently gotten over one. This upcoming trip I'll probably be wearing sneakers more often than my crocs because I just had a bad flare up a month ago and it's just getting better...
 


Good sport sandals meant for hiking in wet terrain. There are lots of brands out there, and which you choose just sort of depends on your feet. Some good brands: Teva, Keen, Merrell, Columbia, Kamik, Nike, Bite.

Most of the time these are a bit on the pricey side, but IMO they are more than worth it.

In winter if it is too chilly for sandals we stick with Merrell Jungle Mocs; they are great to walk in and resist water.
 
Love my Keen Newports! I also take my tennies and usually don't wear the same pair of shoes all day. I'll usually wear the Keens throughout the day and change over to my tennies if we break during the day.

My tennies aren't anything spectacular. Some kind of New Balance walking shoe......
 
We are Aug Disney travelers and we always bring waterproof shoes....I can't even image sneakers, what do you do when you get stuck the afternoon storm? I usually do keens during the day and then sometimes croc flip flops at night, or my keens again...keens are the BEST. My DH wore his keens the entire time and said they were the best, most comfy shoes he's ever worn.

My DS also has the newport keens and my girls alternate between maryjane crocs and their keens.

Not one complaint ever.....
 
Neither...Crocs are horribly slippery and dangerous, especially in the wet weather, and running shoes and socks are nasty in wet weather.

As previous OP mentioned, you need waterproof shoes: Merrill, Teva, Keen, Kamik, Columbia, Salamon or New Balance. Our kids live in New Balance hybrid sneaker/water shoe. They come in pink or blue. They are awesome!

We have logged a million summer park hours as I'm a teacher, so, if your feet are comfortable and don't get wet by either sweat or rain, they will feel so much better, and you won't have blisters. We just returned from 2 weeks, and this was the first trip that no one got blisters!

Good luck, Tiger :)
 
Everyone in my family either does Crocs, Keens, or Tevas -- shoes that can get wet but dry quickly. Absolutely nothing with socks in the parks.
 
If possible, try to get light colors. I've noticed that dark colors really get warm - sometimes even hot. And don't forget the sunscreen on the tops of your feet.

Have fun!!
 
I have Crocs that I wear around the house, and can never wear them during a heat wave. I can't imagine wearing them at Disney!

We just got back--DD wore sandals with velco straps, but she was also in a stroller often. DH wore sneakers/socks and was happy. I wore sneakers/socks one day and felt hotter that day than other days. The other days I wore Merrill flip flops that were much more awesome than I expected them to be.
 
Hi, all! When I heard this thread discussed on the podcast, I really wanted to chime in. Unfortunately, my feet tend to be VERY picky when it comes to finding comfortable shoes. I have narrow feet with high arches and many shoes rub on me and don't give me the support I need.

Well, several years ago I found a pair of flip flops that I fell in love with. These are my "go to" shoes in the summer for EVERYTHING. They're Nike "Celso Girl" and I now have three pairs: black, brown and light blue. They're foamy with neoprene straps so they can get wet, but they dry super fast. No shoe in my life has been any where near as comfortable as these, not even my walking sneakers. DH and I ventured to the World the last week of June for 8 days (stayed at Pop). I wore these every day, all day and I didn't have one blister or red mark. To this day, DH is astonished that they don't hurt at all (he wears socks and walking sneakers and still gets blisters). To note, my skin is very sensitive and soft and they're still a dream!

I just wanted to share my find because I understand how difficult it can be to find the perfect shoes for WDW or anywhere that involved A LOT of walking.

HTH!! :thumbsup2
 
Hi, all! When I heard this thread discussed on the podcast, I really wanted to chime in. Unfortunately, my feet tend to be VERY picky when it comes to finding comfortable shoes. I have narrow feet with high arches and many shoes rub on me and don't give me the support I need.

Well, several years ago I found a pair of flip flops that I fell in love with. These are my "go to" shoes in the summer for EVERYTHING. They're Nike "Celso Girl" and I now have three pairs: black, brown and light blue. They're foamy with neoprene straps so they can get wet, but they dry super fast. No shoe in my life has been any where near as comfortable as these, not even my walking sneakers. DH and I ventured to the World the last week of June for 8 days (stayed at Pop). I wore these every day, all day and I didn't have one blister or red mark. To this day, DH is astonished that they don't hurt at all (he wears socks and walking sneakers and still gets blisters). To note, my skin is very sensitive and soft and they're still a dream!

I just wanted to share my find because I understand how difficult it can be to find the perfect shoes for WDW or anywhere that involved A LOT of walking.

HTH!! :thumbsup2

Great review. I've been following this thread for awhile. Haven't listened to this week's podcast yet. Anyways, how are these on wet pavement? At home I wear my croc's (only in the house though) I'm training for a 1/2 marathon and of course where really good runners for that. I'm nervous to wear croc's on wet pavement 'cause I'm not the most graceful on slicker surfaces.
 
From my experience I have to say that I think Croc type shoes or even sandals are a really bad idea for a long day in a hot park with a lot of walking. I think that it is important that you wear good quality athletic shoes when spending all day in the parks but more importantly is the right socks.

Cotton socks are not a good idea. Synthetic socks such as sports fabrics wick away moisture from the foot and you can use corn starch or baby powder on your feet before beginning the day.

Sandals, flip flops, etc. give no support and really don't protect the feet. A foot injury takes a long time to heal and could really ruin your vacation. How would you like to be wearing flip flops on a standing room only bus and someone one steps on your foot or that stroller catches your toe?
 
I recommend crocs with socks - and an extra pair of socks in a zip lock in your bag in case you are caught in the rain....ok, for WHEN you are caught in the rain! :P
 

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