Crocs Vs. Sneakers: Which Would You Choose?

[Coconuts]

I have yet to give in to the crocs fad and haven't bought any for me or my family. After reading the boards, some people swear by them for the best walking shoes. I know that if I don't wear sneakers for a full walking day at Disney, then my knees hurt. Does anyone think that crocs would be ok? Also, do they rub much? They seem to be very roomy, leading to blisters. What does everyone think?

 

[Momvic5]

I would choose sneakers. They offer better support and protection, and they are your best defense against leg, knee, and foot aches and cramps.

Save the Crocs for the pool!

 

[gabriellyn]

Well we bought some crocs when we were at Disney and we wore them the whole time. It was convenient to wear with or without socks because the weather was so variable in January. HOWEVER, I wish I had worn sneakers instead. I have *extremely* high arches and all that walking with virtually no support has given me a stress fracture that still hasn't completely healed 6 months later. I sure hope it heals before our next trip, during which I will definitely be wearing supportive sneakers. DH and kiddos had no issues though.

 

[Kenenitz]

I am going to be one of those avid supporters of the crocs. I love mine. I will say a few things though..

The first pair I got was a size too big, it was my size, but they were roomier than I should have purchased. The size down to me felt a little too tight and I was more afriad those would rub. Turned out it was the other way around.. for me, going a little smaller was better. They will break in. ( which leads to me to mention.. you need to wear them a little before they reach their maximum comfort level)

With my size figured out, I have purchased about 10 pair. I love them and often wear them with no socks, nothing. I will mention though that by the end of the day my feet are sweaty and dirty.. that happens with holes in your shoes. I find that if I wear a very thin sock, like a ped sock, that I like them more. I like the gold toe brand, the ones that hide in your shoe.

My husband thought they looked ridiculous and ugly. I bought him a pair for out on the boat. He ended up loving them.. until we went to the mall in them for the day and his feet were soaked in sweat.. I ended up getting him socks that wick moisture away from the foot and now he'll wear them again.. i bought the socks either at cabelas or llbean.

Not all crocs are the same.. I have bought generic ones for the kids because they are hard on shoes and I hated to spend another $20 on them. Well the generic ones I bought seemed to be of good quality but the straps ended up breaking and then I refuse to let my kids wear them.. I make them keep the strap behind the ankle at all times. One of my kids specifically is VERY clumsy. lol I have a pair from LLbean that were nice, but overall I would rather spend the money on the real ones.

Thats JMHO, I am in Nursing school and I fell in love with them, another friend of mine also has them and she thinks that they are decent but nothing special. I just think they keep me cooler than having a sneaker on all day.. it's nice to slip them off when I am sitting and let my feet cool off, and they don't need to be snug and putting marks on my feet like my sneakers can. I figure since you need to break them in a little before wearing anyway, getting a pair and trying them out wouldn't hurt.

HTH, good luck deciding..

 

[Kenenitz]

I have *extremely* high arches and all that walking with virtually no support has given me a stress fracture that still hasn't completely healed 6 months later. I sure hope it heals before our next trip, during which I will definitely be wearing supportive sneakers. DH and kiddos had no issues though.

See everyone is so different.. I too have extremely high arches and they seemed to be great for me.. however I will add my first pair did make my arch ache, but once i went down a size I was fine. I guess everyone is just different.

 

[TNLaura]

While I haven't worn my crocs to WDW yet (next rip 1/15/08!!!), I have worn them to other parks and all-day shopping events. Where I have leg fatigue and sore knees in my sneakers, I have none of those symptoms in my crocs. Grubby feet, yes, but worth it.

Again, probably worth the investment to try a pair before you go to see if they suit you.

 

[gabriellyn]

See everyone is so different.. I too have extremely high arches and they seemed to be great for me.. however I will add my first pair did make my arch ache, but once i went down a size I was fine. I guess everyone is just different.

Well, I should mention that I didn't have any pain until AFTER I got home from WDW. They felt great in the parks! My feet didn't hurt after walking all day long, but in hindsight they just didn't offer my arches the support they needed and thus, I now have to deal with the stress fracture. I still wear them because I do love them! LOL I don't think it was so much the shoe, but the amount of time we spent walking. But I don't want to take any chances.

 

[VACAMPER]

My vote is for crocs. I had never bought them until our WDW trip in April. They were great for water rides because they dried so quickly. We wore them 10-12 hrs in the parks and never had aches or pains. Don't by generics their not the same you'll have blisters. I like the Mary Jane style.

 

[bumbershoot]

Well we bought some crocs when we were at Disney and we wore them the whole time. It was convenient to wear with or without socks because the weather was so variable in January. HOWEVER, I wish I had worn sneakers instead. I have *extremely* high arches and all that walking with virtually no support has given me a stress fracture that still hasn't completely healed 6 months later. I sure hope it heals before our next trip, during which I will definitely be wearing supportive sneakers. DH and kiddos had no issues though.

From my athletic training and exercise science education, you were working on those stress fractures LONG before you went to WDW. Those things take quite awhile to develop, otherwise they would just be called fractures.

*********

OP, I reject your use of the "fad" word. They aren't a fad for me, they are comfy. My son LOVES his.

For my feet, I have to change shoes at least once during the day, so I can't tell you to bring just one shoe. I don't bring just one shoe for DS, either, he has his sneakers and his crocs, and he wears whichever depending on what he feels like that day. I imagine for WDW I'll be bringing three pairs of shoes, if I need two pairs for DLR.

They work for some feet, they don't work for others. They barely work for me, b/c I have wide feet, and the fit needs to be roomy. With me, it's not as roomy as it SHOULD be, but I squeak by somehow.

 

[Doc CW]

Sneakers more support and comfort over longer periods of time

 

[tr-ray]

I bought a pair of Crocs on my last trip, on the LAST DAY.
I wore them for the few hours we were at the park in the morning before leaving, and even on my sore & blistered feet they felt SO much better.

Certainly sneakers are tighter and a more supportive shoe type, but I think that regardless, your foot is still treading on the ground harder in a sneaker than in a Croc.

I am also one of those people who were a little skeptical of the whole Crocs fad and those who speak so warmly about them here on the DIS boards. That said, when I go next, I'm definitely bringing my Crocs, and will most likely alternate them with my sneakers.

 

[imthatgirl]

i too was unsure about the whole crocs thing, so i went out and got a pair. and you know what......now im sure, i dont liek them at all!!!! i just dont think they are as comfy as everyone else says. so i guess what works for one doesnt work for another.
so if those were my only 2 choices i would pick sneakers, but i love my Teva sandals, couldnt live without them.
also i always suggest anyone going should bring 2 pairs of shoes. there is no perfect shoe.

 

[Tink51]

Crocs- wore them all day every day from early morning to late evening with no problems at all! I have high arches as well, but had no discomfort on any of our many trips. Even the kids wear them all day

 

[Natalie_89]

i never actually got some of my own but i tried some on and they were really comfy, i got my boy some of the disney ones in one of the parks and he walked fine with them i can imagine thed be better for the heat too *** of the holes...so many people wear them xxx

 

[vcgirl925]

This is a good post. I have never worn crocs before. But i HATE sneakers. I am an avid flip flop wearer and hate shoes that restrict my feet. I have worn just regular old flip flops to disney before and have been fine. So i'm hoping that the crocs i just purchased will be even better. But i bought them now and my trip isn't for 4 months. So i have time to see if they feel good and will actually work in disney.

 

[buckeyebill1995]

On our last trip, I wore sneakers for the first three days and my knees hurt so bad I could barely sleep. On day four I bought crocs -- and the pain was gone! My DD loves hers, too! You do sweat in them, though, and your feet get dirty. Still, I think it was definitely worth it!

 

[imthatgirl]

On our last trip, I wore sneakers for the first three days and my knees hurt so bad I could barely sleep. On day four I bought crocs -- and the pain was gone! My DD loves hers, too! You do sweat in them, though, and your feet get dirty. Still, I think it was definitely worth it!

funny you should bring that up, i was going to ask how eveyrone gets around the "croc foot". when my kids wear them it seems the shoe itself stays very clean, but then when you take the shoe off they have the most disgusting feet. it seems as though those wholes actually vacuum in the dirt. yuck!

 

[dancergirl9589]

i personally would choose the crocs.they are extremly comfy and if your feet get wet they dry easy.i habe heard people have gotten blisters but not for me i wear them every where for like a year never got one

 

[hoosiergirl7]

I own a pair of sneakers but rarely wear them and I won't wear them to Disney. My problem with sneakers is that my feet swell when I'm on them for a long period of time. Plus when I'm wearing sneakers they get extremely sweaty and my feet itch like mad.

What I wore on our Disney trip in April was the Crocs flip flops and I LOVED them. Worth every penny I spent on them. I found them at shoebuy.com for $20something and they do free shipping. I need to buy another pair before we go again in October. I had a nicer pair of sandals that I brought with to wear when we went to nicer dinners. I also had a 3rd pair which were slip on Sketchers and they didn't bother me the way sneakers did.

I love wearing Crocs and own 3 or 4 pairs.

 

[Kenenitz]

funny you should bring that up, i was going to ask how eveyrone gets around the "croc foot". when my kids wear them it seems the shoe itself stays very clean, but then when you take the shoe off they have the most disgusting feet. it seems as though those wholes actually vacuum in the dirt. yuck!

I take wipes and hand sanitizer. I love when they take their shoes off and they have dots. LOL