Shoes and handbag

[Elise79]

I'm not sure your DH will forgive me for this but you do know that you can use the 'package pick-up' option with any souvenirs you buy in the Disney parks. When you pay for the items, ask if you can do package pick-up and they will arrange for everything to be sent to a designated pick-up area (they tell you where it is) at the front of the park so you can collect it when you leave

You just need to leave a couple of hours before leaving the park

 

[angelicamy12]

I wear little (worn-in) pumps whilst walking round the parks - I usually take a few so that I can match them with my outfits but it also avoids my feet getting 'stuck' in the exact same shoes every day and if i do get any blisters it means they aren;t rubbing in the same place every day.

A little tip I have for keeping them on my feet on bigger rides (im particularly thinking about rides at Universal such as Harry Potter etc where you don't want to lose a shoe!) is that I take with me a little bag of elastic bands and slip them over my shoe for a tight fit just before loading. It isn't the most compfrtable so I take the straight off afterwards but makes them secure for the duration of the ride!

 

[bee86]

A little tip I have for keeping them on my feet on bigger rides (im particularly thinking about rides at Universal such as Harry Potter etc where you don't want to lose a shoe!) is that I take with me a little bag of elastic bands and slip them over my shoe for a tight fit just before loading. It isn't the most compfrtable so I take the straight off afterwards but makes them secure for the duration of the ride!

Awesome tip

 

[angelicamy12]

Yeah it made a huge difference to me the last time we were there! I used to not enjoy rides as I was so sure my shoes were gonna come flying off but also didnt like sitting on my shoes as I am a wimp and don't feel 'secure' unless I am completely wedged in!

 

[Alexsandra]

I have a sciatic nerve problem and bad knees so good shoes are essential for me. I hate crocs as i have found them to give me blisters in the long run.
I am a flip flop lover too, so for WDW, I ordered "Reef's Girl Slaps" on amazon.com and got them delivered directly to my resort. Reefs are high quality surf sandals and have a thick cushioned sole with arch and thick strap for comfort and stability. They cost me half the price then if I would have got them in store. they provide amazing foot support. Best of all they are waterproof so if you are caught in a freak thunder shower, they dry immediately. I have worn them on three trips to WDW and my feet stay cool and dry and no aching feet, back or knees.

Another shoe I recommend is "Sketchers: Go Walk". They are made to be walked on for long periods of time and are the only shoe recommended for people with sciatic nerve problems. They come in a runner or dressy shoe or Mary Jane style. I own both the runner and the Mary Jane. They are amazingly comfortable, lightweight and breathable. They have a cushioned base with a inverted curve so that it follows the foots natural walking motion. I wore them on my last trip in December as it was cooler weather and not appropriate for my flip flops. Not one day of sciatic pain or sore feet. I have converted all my coworkers at work since we are on our feet constantly. Now we are a group of 10 wearing them everyday

I used to wear Keens before and they were great for comfort and waterproofing however my feet used to get really hot and sweaty and the same could be said for regular runners.

I hope this helps. Have a great trip!

 

[mollies_mum]

I have a sciatic nerve problem and bad knees so good shoes are essential for me. I hate crocs as i have found them to give me blisters in the long run.
I am a flip flop lover too, so for WDW, I ordered "Reef's Girl Slaps" on amazon.com and got them delivered directly to my resort. Reefs are high quality surf sandals and have a thick cushioned sole with arch and thick strap for comfort and stability. They cost me half the price then if I would have got them in store. they provide amazing foot support. Best of all they are waterproof so if you are caught in a freak thunder shower, they dry immediately. I have worn them on three trips to WDW and my feet stay cool and dry and no aching feet, back or knees.

Another shoe I recommend is "Sketchers: Go Walk". They are made to be walked on for long periods of time and are the only shoe recommended for people with sciatic nerve problems. They come in a runner or dressy shoe or Mary Jane style. I own both the runner and the Mary Jane. They are amazingly comfortable, lightweight and breathable. They have a cushioned base with a inverted curve so that it follows the foots natural walking motion. I wore them on my last trip in December as it was cooler weather and not appropriate for my flip flops. Not one day of sciatic pain or sore feet. I have converted all my coworkers at work since we are on our feet constantly. Now we are a group of 10 wearing them everyday

I used to wear Keens before and they were great for comfort and waterproofing however my feet used to get really hot and sweaty and the same could be said for regular runners.

I hope this helps. Have a great trip!

This is such great advice, thank you. I've suffered for years whilst looking for the right footwear to help ease my pain, I'm going to try these for our next trip in October!

 

[Button]

Bag what's that - I load my husbands pockets with my junk!!!

Think he was relieved when the kid came along and had the buggy to load up instead

 

[irenep]

I usually wear a pair of flip-flops round the parks (Teva Mush) and alternate with a pair of Clarks walking sandals. So far, this has worked fine for me. Tried Crocs a couple of times but never got on with them at all. Both the flip-flop style and MaryJanes gave me blisters plus I find them slippery in the wet.

As far as bags are concerned, I try my best to leave it behind (hate bag-check) and usually just take a lanyard and a small purse that fits in my pocket. If I do need a bag, the I have small cross the body Kipling that can convert to a bum bag.

 

[ukool]

I had some great sandels from asda last time that were very comfy, im taking them this time as well as some converse type shoes. For my bag iv got a back pack type with loads of pockets, body bags are ok but i find they bug me after a few hours.

 

[Alexsandra]

This is such great advice, thank you. I've suffered for years whilst looking for the right footwear to help ease my pain, I'm going to try these for our next trip in October!

No problem, it took me a lot of searching until I found the right footwear. Good luck

 

[Minniesgal]

I'm a flip flop girl but i can't do them at the parks I need more support on my ankle or it gets very sore. I love sandals for the parks I have a different pair every time just whatever is the comfiest among what is selling at the time.

As for a bag we don't take any. We hate waiting in the bag check lines. All we take to the parks is a little wallet with park passes and our KTTW.

 

[Shocking Hocking]

I'm not sure your DH will forgive me for this but you do know that you can use the 'package pick-up' option with any souvenirs you buy in the Disney parks. When you pay for the items, ask if you can do package pick-up and they will arrange for everything to be sent to a designated pick-up area (they tell you where it is) at the front of the park so you can collect it when you leave

Thank you for that tip , It's just made me more excited than I already am . Hubby will need to work a bit harder now for our spending money .

 

[Shocking Hocking]

I wear little (worn-in) pumps whilst walking round the parks - I usually take a few so that I can match them with my outfits but it also avoids my feet getting 'stuck' in the exact same shoes every day and if i do get any blisters it means they aren;t rubbing in the same place every day.

A little tip I have for keeping them on my feet on bigger rides (im particularly thinking about rides at Universal such as Harry Potter etc where you don't want to lose a shoe!) is that I take with me a little bag of elastic bands and slip them over my shoe for a tight fit just before loading. It isn't the most compfrtable so I take the straight off afterwards but makes them secure for the duration of the ride!

Great tip thank you . I will be borrowing some elastic bands from work to pack : )

 

[Shocking Hocking]

I have a sciatic nerve problem and bad knees so good shoes are essential for me. I hate crocs as i have found them to give me blisters in the long run.
I am a flip flop lover too, so for WDW, I ordered "Reef's Girl Slaps" on amazon.com and got them delivered directly to my resort. Reefs are high quality surf sandals and have a thick cushioned sole with arch and thick strap for comfort and stability. They cost me half the price then if I would have got them in store. they provide amazing foot support. Best of all they are waterproof so if you are caught in a freak thunder shower, they dry immediately. I have worn them on three trips to WDW and my feet stay cool and dry and no aching feet, back or knees.

Another shoe I recommend is "Sketchers: Go Walk". They are made to be walked on for long periods of time and are the only shoe recommended for people with sciatic nerve problems. They come in a runner or dressy shoe or Mary Jane style. I own both the runner and the Mary Jane. They are amazingly comfortable, lightweight and breathable. They have a cushioned base with a inverted curve so that it follows the foots natural walking motion. I wore them on my last trip in December as it was cooler weather and not appropriate for my flip flops. Not one day of sciatic pain or sore feet. I have converted all my coworkers at work since we are on our feet constantly. Now we are a group of 10 wearing them everyday

I used to wear Keens before and they were great for comfort and waterproofing however my feet used to get really hot and sweaty and the same could be said for regular runners.

I hope this helps. Have a great trip!

Thank you , I will look into these as I have a horrible varicose vain that give me some pain at times . Hoping to get it sorted before we go but running out of time . Thanks again

 

[Shocking Hocking]

We tend to pick up a pair or two of Nikes at Premium Outlets - a pair of Air Max that cost £120 here work out around £60-£70 so a good saving - plus I find a decent pair of air trainers don't need to be broken in - the are perfect from the start!

Thanks I will be getting my son some Nikes when we get there as he is only 12 but a mens size 9 already ! Do you know if Vans are cheaper ? Thank u

 

[Shocking Hocking]

this

I also go for Merrell walking sandals and alternate with trainers sometimes.
I also have a few Kipling across the body bags, although DH does normally take his bum bag which seems to be a bit of a tardis!

Whatever you have/decide to buy start wearing them in NOW

Thank you , had some great advises on here .

 

[Shocking Hocking]

Hiya!!

I'm not a park veteran but when I was there in 2008 I bought lovely new sandals which I "broke in" and had worn around the house before I went so they would be comfortable. Long story short they weren't.... I had to go and buy crocs( the ugly kind) but they saved my feet for the next 2 weeks. WDW is HUGE and you will do so much walking. I understand you don't like how crocs look but have you considered some of the other styles in the crocs?
(on a side note, I wouldn't be caught dead in crocs over here but in Wdw it's very relaxed and pretty much anything goes once its comfortable!)
I posted here awhile ago about crocs and some of the fabulous ladies shared pics of there crocs and you will be surprised how non croc like they are lol some of the styles are quite dainty.
As for bags... I brought like a school bag last time but this time I'm bringing cross body bags with lots of pockets so you can still carry them with you on most rides. I posted a pic of them in the holiday shopping thread on the community board sorry I can't pop in the links but I'm on my phone

Thank you , I have been looking at all the new croc styles on line and I am going to get a cross body bag for my camera ect .

 

[Shocking Hocking]

I have a cross-body bag (well, actually several - different colours to go with different outfits ) that I use. My current favourite is a multi-coloured bag that I bought from Animal.

As far as shoes go, I swear by my Crocs. I know you say your feet are bigger but I wear Crocs Cleos (the sandal type) and they are so comfortable. I have never had any problems with blisters or sore feet while at WDW. If you're worried about your flip flops coming off, that would only really apply on some of the bigger rides at Universal/IOA and you can take your flip flops off and sit on them (as long as you have them with you, they don't mind) while you're on the ride.

ETA: There aren't any rides at WDW where you can't take bags on with you and, at Universal, the rides where bags aren't allowed have locekrs which are free while you ride.

Brilliant thank you for the advises . I am trying to pack light so I have room for shopping but I never seem to pack light . It will just end up where my hubby and son take less so I can take more . Do love buying bags ,shoes and I love junk jewellery too .

 

[Shocking Hocking]

The only ride in WDW I can think of off the top of my head where flip flops would be a problem is Soarin', however you can just slip them off and leave them on the floor before the ride starts as no one but the CM's are down there while the movie plays and you return to your starting point at the end (Same deal if you have a rucksack or something that's too big to fit in the net basket thing, can just leave that on the floor too). Oddly I find it quite nice riding with bare feet!

I have some Adidas flip flops with cushioned sole to walk around in unless it's raining all day or something then I just wear trainers. October is a fab time of year to visit so short of some very bad luck you'll only be dealing with the odd afternoon dump of rain and even that tends to happen less often by then.

I'd say wear what you find you're most comfortable in - you're going to be doing a LOT of walking and standing during the day so comfort is the no.1 priority.

Bag wise I just bring a casual, over the shoulder bag to keep my camera, sun cream etc etc in, nothing fancy. Most rides that need them have a elasticated net baskets to put your bag in, but if not, or if the bag is too big then I just put my bag on the floor with my foot through the handle just in case (Soarin' being the obvious exception), but normally in those situations gravity/g-force ensures it stays right where I put it anyhow.

Just talking WDW here, not been to Universal for ages and not a white knuckle rider even when I do go.

Thanks for the advise , everyone has been a great help . Can't wait till October now it can't come quick enough .

 

[Shocking Hocking]

Hi there, I too am a Havaiana flip flop girl and have just returned from WDW last week but my feet are suffering from wearing my Havianas I must admit!!

They really didn't offer as much support as I needed for the miles of walking we did each day and I ended up with mu big toe splitting which was really painful.. They were the only thing I had that was waterproof though so I just continued to wear them.

All the Americans at the moment are wearing bright coloured trainers, so knowing that they are now fashionable over here also I thought I'd treat myself to a pair on the last day to wear working out here in the UK. I wish I had bought them on my first day.

Oh my goodness, from the minute I put them on my feet it was heaven! By far and away THE most comfortable shoes/trainers I have ever put on my feet. No breaking in required, they were perfect from day 1!

I got The Nike Free 5.0 trainers and they cost ($106 including tax) from the sports shop next to the JC Penny entrance at Florida Mall. I bought the latest colour in jade green with fluro yellow logo and they're great. I have had so many people ask me where they were from since I returned. I am certainly not 'that' into fashion (getting too old for that !!) but hey if Victoria Beckham can wear them so can I!!!!!

I will certainly be buying more when we go at Christmas and would recommend them to anyone. You won't look stupid or out of place wearing them in Orlando and you will be as comfortable as anything.

Thank you , I love the bright trainers and I am going to try and get my son some he will be in Nike heaven I'm sure . I will be charged excess baggage by the time I finish and will need another holiday . I got a Ralph Lauren top with a neon large pony badge on it when we were away at Easter and my hubby said to be do you think you should be wearing neon second time around !!!!