Okay Aussies and Kiwis, what shoes for WDW?

[Travel Mum]

I have been reading so many threads on the main board about the type of shoes to wear at WDW that my head spinning! Everyone has a different opinions about the shoes, type of socks etc So, I thought I'd post here in our forum to see your opinions.

I presume it will still be hot at the beginning of October (certainly for us coming from Wellington weather) so the thought of wearing socks and shoes is pretty unbearable as I hate having hot feet but, if that is the best way to avoid blisters and aching feet, then I guess we will have to do it. When we went to Vietnam, I wore walking sandals similar to this: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=386158050 However, whilst we were walking and it was extremely hot, it was not for nearly the distances or length of day that we will be doing at WDW so not sure if they would be so suitable for this holiday? Also I read where someone said to wear closed toe shoes in case someone stands on your toes in the crowds? HELP, your opinions or suggestions please.

With 3 months to go, I figure that, if I need to buy any of us new shoes, I'd better do it soon so that there is time to break them in. The bummer is that, although we hope to do lots of shoe shopping while we are there, it won't be until after the WDW part of our holiday, so I'll have to buy shoes here at our very high N.Z. prices

P.S. Go Pluto go, isn't my ticker so cute?!!

 

[HappyFingers]

Well when you have a size 15 foot it basically a case of

"if the shoe fits, wear it"

You don't get a lot of choice (well at least not here in Australia )

 

[Caroline NZ]

I wore these on our recent trip to DL ( we did alot of walking, particularly at SD Zoo where we were walking the entire day ).
http://ww2.sierratradingpost.com/me...r-women~p~2961x/?filterString=Search~merrell/
I found them really comfortable. DH & DS wore Merrell closed in toe sandals, and my DD wore Keen closed in toe sandals. No one got any blisters.
We did take Crocs as well, but never ended up wearing them.

 

[PrincessInOz]

I wear my Sketchers...it's comfortable and if it rains, it doesn't get wet on the inside.

I've taken Crocs to the World as well. I tend to use that around the resorts and around the pool. I've also tried sandals. In the end, the Sketchers are the ones that I'm most comfortable in and that allow me to stand and walk all day without any issue.

 

[battymum]

Yes, that is something I have been thinking about as well - all the shoes that most recommend are close to $100A - I didnt factor $500 in our budget for new shoes for everyone

Does anyone wear canvas type shoes, like Vans or Converse - I am wondering if they are any cooler than the normal runner types - whilst still being supportive.

I have quite a narrow foot and find unless there is an ankle strap my toes end up arched trying to keep them on.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

Well when you have a size 15 foot it basically a case of

"if the shoe fits, wear it"

You don't get a lot of choice (well at least not here in Australia )

Make sure you check sure you check out the Nike outlets we saw heaps of size 14-17's when we went to them our boys are only in 13's, but the staff in LA did tell us to grab what we found even if you were not that fussed on them because the stock was so different at each store.

 

[Sugarglider]

the last couple of trips I've worn Keens - very similar to the Eccos you mentioned.
http://www.keenfootwear.com/us/en/wall/shoes/women/waterfront
the newport and the owyhee. both are are fine without socks, and good with water (i.e. Kali river rapids) and have lasted 3 trips with no problems so far.
the owyhee can lead to blisters if your feet stay wet for a long time.
I bought them from Sierra Trading Post too at a substantial discount (maybe half price?)

added note: the one thing I have learned about wearing shoes without socks is to have a smooth inner sole. These type of molded shoes sometimes have ridges set into the inner sole which over a long day rub against the soles of your feet and toes in place you didn't know you had

 

[AussieMumma]

I wear thongs all the time, so the thought of wear joggers for days on end in the heat makes me gag!!
I wear Reef thongs, they have good arch support and are super comfy. I also have a pair of Merrel thongs which are really comfy too but I wear my Reef's most the time at home so they are my fav.
Saying that, when we went to Disneyland in December last year it was freezing so I had to give in and wear my Nike joggers, but I can't stand them for more then an hour when it's hot!

I think you'll be fine in your sandal things that you wore in Vietnam or something similar, like you said get them soon and wear them in.

Oh and as for getting your toes stood on...I've never had that issue with my thongs on but when we went in Dec and I was in my Nike's I actually smashed my big toe on a ride (no idea when or how) and it was instant blood blister under my toe nail and well we won't go into that any further
Point being it doesn't matter what shoes you are in you can still sustain a theme park injury lol!!

 

[Snickals]

I just wore a really comfy pair of joggers that I wore for exercising back at home so they were well worn in. Make sure what ever you wear they have good support because you will be doing a LOT of walking!

 

[miss.potatohead]

Does anyone wear canvas type shoes, like Vans or Converse - I am wondering if they are any cooler than the normal runner types - whilst still being supportive.

I wore Converse canvas high tops when we went (but I was at DLR and it was winter, although California winter was pretty much Aust spring/summer when we were there!) and my feet were fine. It may sound silly but there are some great socks out there, especially for people who are runners which help prevent sweating and such.

 

[Saskiwi]

Yeah I second get good socks! I bought Coolmax ones for us all from Kathmandu (2 packs are often on special in their sales) and we wore them with trainers at DL in April - we walked a LOT and never got any blisters - plus they dry really quick if you have to do an overnight wash-and-hang-to-dry in the bathroom!

 

[Jade+3]

We always wear joggers. I am a not sure what to do this time, as there is a big chance we will get afternoon showers. I am thinking of throwing our thongs in the pram, so we can change shoes if we get wet.

 

[Travel Mum]

Thanks so much for your help everyone! Whilst I've walked around DL many times with really no thought to what shoes I wore, the massive distances of WDW scares me! So, even though the thought of wearing socks and shoes in the heat sounds hideous to me, I think we will all need to take our most comfortable pair of trainers to wear around the major walking parks such as Epcot. However, I'll need to get us all some Coolmax socks to go with them so I'd better go into Kathmandu tomorrow while their sale is still on! (thanks for the tip Saskiwi )

I'll also take my existing walking sandals, as described in my first post, because I really don't wear this type of shoe in my daily life at home so am very reluctant to purchase some more just for this trip. DH also has his that he wore on our Vietnam trip and DD13 may still fit hers. However DD10 and DD6 will certainly need new shoes so I'm going to have to suck it up and spend $$ on shoes for them here before go So, when it comes to the cooler (cooler than trainers and socks) type of walkings shoes for them, I wonder if I should buy shoes similar to the type we will be wearing or should I go down the Crocs route? Any opinions on that?

I love my flip flops and that is all you will ever see me wearing in the heat of a Fiji holiday but sadly I know that I could not walk long distances in them. However, like Jade said, I do wonder if I put our flipflops in our day pack so we could put them on either if our trainers got wet or we just couldn't bare hot feet anymore! Has anyone ever done that?

Princess, I love Sketchers and hope to stock up on them while we are there What do the ones that you wear at the parks look like?

Caroline NZ, did you buy your Merrels and Keens here in N.Z. before you left?

 

[PrincessInOz]

They are actually like the current Biker's style. It's a casual walking shoe that I bought about 3 years ago.

I recommend that you wear whatever is comfortable rather than 'buying-in' to the American "must have 'right' walking shoes". As you would have read, everyone does have a different opinion on what to wear at the parks. Just stick with what is comfortable and you'll be fine (as long as you aren't thinking of high heels!!). Yes - Magic Kingdom is a little bit bigger than Disneyland, but if you got round Disneyland fine, you'll get round MK okay as well.

Epcot is big. Really big. But you'll be stopping at most pavillions anyway.

 

[Caroline NZ]

Hi Travel Mum,
I bought the Keens (Newport H2 in purple) for my DD online from Shoe Buy. They came to around NZ$65.00 ( including postage and after a specials discount, I bought 3 pairs of shoes in the one shipment), so still cheaper than buying in NZ. Sierra also have Keen sandals, but they didn't have the size we needed. We had had my DH & DS's Merrell sandals for a couple of years. We got them fron the Frontrunner in NZ, I have since tried in vain to find the same sandal in a bigger size for my DS. Shoebuy sell Merrells, but they don't allow them to be shipped to NZ ( the same applies with Skechers from Shoebuy ). It can be a pain when you see a shoe you really like. I got my Merrell sandals from Sierra, they do ship them to NZ, maybe because they tend to have end of line stock? It seems a bit random though because at the moment Sierra are not allowing Keens to be shipped to NZ ( but in the past they have).
So in summary, Shoe Buy are good if they have a 20% off sale, Sierra are awesome (frequently have 20-25% off sales), but tend to only have end of line gear. In both cases I spend around US$100-$140 before postage. No less than that- in order to "spread" the postage cost, but no more so that I don't get stung by Customs. Sierra postage is US$37.00 for up to $100, and $47.00 for $100-$200 ( I buy lots from them at the moment with the good exchange rate, shoes, jackets, sunglasses etc). The postage for 3 pairs of shoes from Shoe Buy was US$60.00, pricey, but if you buy during a 20% discount sale the shoes are still considerably cheaper than buying in NZ (and loads more variety).
If you are after an NZ site Hikoi looks good ( I haven't actually bought any thing from them, but they stock outdoorsey type shoes including Merrell and Keen).
When we were in the US I browsed the Zappos site, they have a huge range of shoes. I was really tempted to get some shoes shipped to the hotel, but then in the end didn't want to take the risk in case there was a delay in shipping (though they do claim to have super fast shipping. Unfortunately they don't ship internationally.

 

[queenie82]

Keens are the BEST shoes ever...
Other good ones are Salomon.

People who wear thongs all the time...as with crocs...will pay for it later in life.
No arch support is a crime against your feet

 

[austraveler]

There is a croc sandal called "cleo" that I wore for the whole week at WDW. They have a small arch support and nothing between your toes (ie not like thong). I brought good walking shoes along but the sandals were so comfortable that I kept wearing them.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

I wore well worn in Asics sneakers for the trip with Coolmax socks, don't forget the Bodyglide and Moleskin for potential blister moments. At night to give my feet a rest I wore my Cleo Croc slides, they were awesome. They are so comfortable and like Austraveller, I still wear them around the house now. Very comfy.

I could go on and on about this subject but I will keep it short and sweet.

 

[BecBennett]

I recommend wearing what ever is comfortable. DH and I both wear joggers and cotton socks. We've never had a problem, but we weren't there in the real hot season. Having said that though, I've always worn joggers when a lot of walking is involved, regardless of the heat.




Except that time I made the novice traveller mistake - the 1st time I went to NYC I wanted to wear fashionable clothes, so my foot wear consisted of knee high boots I looked fabulous! But there was no walking done the following day!!

 

[kylieh]

Well when you have a size 15 foot it basically a case of

"if the shoe fits, wear it"

You don't get a lot of choice (well at least not here in Australia )

I'm a woman's 12, totally get it!!!

I wear my Sketchers...it's comfortable and if it rains, it doesn't get wet on the inside.

DD swears by sketchers, they just work for her feet and legs. For whatever reason they are the only ones she doesn't need additional orthotics in or ends up needing extra rub downs after[/QUOTE]

Yeah I second get good socks! I bought Coolmax ones for us all from Kathmandu (2 packs are often on special in their sales) and we wore them with trainers at DL in April - we walked a LOT and never got any blisters - plus they dry really quick if you have to do an overnight wash-and-hang-to-dry in the bathroom!

thanks didn't know where I could g et them from.



A couple of weeks ago I purchased a pair of unisex Dr Scholl's ortho heels from a chemist in Qld. They feel really good. I've been walking the dog in them and they are really comfy. Thinking of getting another pair.