Crocs or Birkenstocks?

[themilesfamily]

Are either of these good footwear options for Disney park touring? I've never owned a pair of either -- and I really want an alternative to sneakers for our next trip.

 

[ninety-seven]

I know this has been discussed for at least the last 3 years on the boards, but I don't know of a thread off-hand.

Personally, I prefer Crocs. My kids love them, they are comfortable, and you can get them wet without them stinking or gaining any weight.

My advice though: Get them a few weeks in advance and wear them to break them in. I found that they can be slippery and uncomfortable until they mold to your feet enough.

All 6 of us will have them for our trip in June.

97

 

[DVCJEN]

I have both-- Crocs are better.

 

[JacknSally]

i wore both on my last trip -- not the traditional birks though, i got a pair of sandals, and i absolutely adore them... i didn't wear regular crocs either, but the Alices, and they gave me blisters but they're also a size too big and extremely hard to keep on

 

[aprince&princess]

I love wearing my birkenstock sandals to the parks. So much more comfortable then my sneakers. I bring nothing else for me. I don't own crocs, so I can't compare. MY DD10 wears her crocs around the parks and never gets blisters, but she always wears them.

 

[lexmelinda]

My croc-a-likes rubbed a blister.

On my last trip I wore Keens and they were GREAT!

 

[JenniBugInPink]

I've worn Birks for 20 years, virtually exclusively (no kidding). I have plantar fasciitis. I had surgery in one foot for it about 18 years ago. However, when we went to Disney, I wore Crocs, and didn't have a single minute of trouble with my feet. NONE. The Birks are just not cushy enough to stand in line in (at least for me ). Birks do now have a new soft footbed available, and that might be a good choice for Disney, but they're so pricey that I haven't bought any yet. Crocs are so nice and cheap that I plan to stick with them!

 

[Eeyore1925]

One big advantage of the Crocs - they are waterproof!

If you are going in the summer you can almost guarantee that you will get caught in a rain storm or two. It's nice knowing you can walk right through the wet mess and not have to worry about your shoes.

 

[Taja]

I love my Birks, but can't wear them in the parks. They don't provide sufficient support for my left foot and ankle. The foot has to be held firmly in the shoe to keep everything aligned properly.

Haven't tried Crocs, but I probably would have the same issues with them.

Try wearing both at home for extended period of times--to the mall, walking in the park, etc. and see if one is more comfortable than the other.

 

[ChrisMouse]

I have worn my Crocs to Disney and LOVE THEM. No foot pain like in years past when I wore tennies. (I am a sock wearer, though...ugly as it looks...I HAVE to wear socks...I just take them off when I'm going on a water ride).

However, I also ADORE my Birks. (I wear the Milano style with the ankle strap) I'm planning, for my trip in May, to wear Crocs for the bulk of the day, and then change into my Birks when we return to the parks after our afternoon break. I figure changing up my shoes might do me some good...plus, on my last 4 day trip I wore the soles on my Crocs right down flat...maybe this way I'll only need one pair for my 8 day trip.

 

[PrincessPoohsMom]

I've been wearing Birkenstocks for well over 15 years and love them for WDW. I do tend to bring tennis shoes as well, though, and swap back & forth throughout the trip. I do also have a pair of Crocs. I like them, but they just don't fit my feet as well as the Birks do, so I reserve them for wearing down to the pool and to the water parks.

That being said, I agree with the PP who suggested trying each out for an extended period of time to see which you like better. Oh and my last pair of Birks came from Zappos. I fully recommend them: great prices and free overnight shipping (and return shipping if you had to send them back for a different size). The website had a pretty decent selection the last time I checked. They carry Crocs too.

 

[pednurse]

I have both Crocs and Birks (pair of sandals & pair of clogs). I could not wear either all day in the parks. What worked best for me was to wear my good supportive walking shoes (New Balance) for touring the parks, then switch to the Crocs & Birks alternately in the evenings to give my feet a break (I have discovered with my issues with plantar fasciitis that switching shoes is better than wearing the same ones constantly). I did wear my Crocs the afternoon we spent at AK for their waterproof quality when riding Kali River Rapids, but I don't think they would have lasted all day on my feet (tend to rub blisters on the sole of one foot if I wear them for an entire day). The Birks wouldn't be cushy enough for all the standing for my heels to last an entire day touring, although I wear them for entire days when not on vacation (but then I can sit more frequently when I need to). The change-up of shoes was key for foot comfort for me rather than picking one pair of shoes for an entire vacation. With either shoe, you do need to have time to break them in (especially the Birks....don't wear them an entire day to start off with....if you've never worn them, your feet will need time to get used to them just as the shoes will need time to break in as well). Just my 2 cents of what works for me, being a wearer of both Crocs & Birks.

 

[Shmily1]

Crocs all the way!! I've tried tennis shoes (New Balance, Reebok, etc), sandles, and Crocs. I actually bought my Crocs at POP since my tennis shoes were killing my feet... and my legs... and my back !!

 

[PatsMom]

DD and I both have plantar fascitis. She loves Birks. I don't like wearing them for a whole day. We both love our Crocs. In the summer they are great because of being waterproof. I find them cooler than my walking shoes (Avia or New Balance). I have a very bad ankle (fractured both the tibia and fibula - took four hours of surgery and lots of metal parts to put everything back together again). The ankle does swell more with the Crocs than with my walking shoes.

 

[pixie08]

Love my crocs and always wear them in Disney. I find some styles are more comfy than others. I have the disney beach version- so comfy and the athens flip flop style is also comfy for all day but some of the other sandal types are not comfortable for me to wear all day at the parks.

 

[Bev J]

I used to be an avid Birks wearer, then 2 yrs ago I started having some major heel problems. I went to a foot doc who gave me a shot in my foot and that seemed to solve the problem he said keep wearing the Birks. We went to WDW and I had the worst time ever with my feet, swollen, blisters and horrible pain I could hardly walk and the birks just did not have enough padding under foot to help me out. My son had worn his Crocs so I borrowed them and my feet were soooo happy. I did wear them with short socks and those Crocs saved my feet for the rest of the trip.
Last trip I bought a pair of Cleo's (crocs) sandle and they were very comfortable, I tried wearing the Birks I brought along and they just killed my feet. I have been wearing some regular Croc's all winter and my feet have been quite happy. I am going to try working myself back into the Birks for the summer so I have more shoes to wear, and I will bring the Cleo's back out. For my December WDW trip I will probably bring the regular Crocs along with socks for the cooler weather.
Either way make sure you have worn what ever shoe you bring along for at least a month before your trip to make sure your well broken in to them and bring along a back up pair just incase.

Bev

 

[goldenears]

I don't have Crocs, so I can't compare the two, but I LOVE MY BIRKS!! I have had my Birk sandals forever and I live in them when I go to the parks. They are the only shoes that don't give me blisters w/ all of the walking that we do.
Whatever you end up going with, def. break them in. I am sure the reason that my Birks are so comfortable for me is because they have been molded to my feet.

 

[SydneyBristow]

Neither, I recommend Teva Mush flip flops, so comfortable and much more affordable then the others.

 

[fall08CP]

I love my Birks, but can't wear them in the parks. They don't provide sufficient support for my left foot and ankle. The foot has to be held firmly in the shoe to keep everything aligned properly.

Same for me. They're great shoes, but not for hours on end.
I would never wear Crocs because of their appearance, comfortable or not.

 

[DanceRC28]

CROCS all the way!!!!! I have two pairs and I always end up in them by the end of the day. I usually bring like five pairs of sandals to match all my outfits and end up wearing these 90% of the time! They are heaven for aching feet!