To Croc or Not to Croc??

[looking4pixidust]

Let me start by saying that I am a recent and avid convert of the DIS! My sister found the DIS when she was planning her Disneymoon, and now guess what...it's my turn!My DF and I are getting married June 1st and are heading for WDW the next day. Anyway, my sister told me about this site and I am so glad that she did. I finally HAD to join. This being my first post EVER, I need some help.

I have heard a lot about Crocs. However, I wonder--are they really necessary? They look a lot like sandals or flipflops, neither of which I ever wanted to wear. Is it really worth it? Are they that comfortable? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks DIS!

 

[Kazzy1548]

Hi and Welcome.

Never bought a pair myself, but I heard mix reviews. Some people seem to love them, other find them painful and get blisters. I think the best thing is to buy a pair a try them out at home, so that if you don't like them, you are not stuck in Disney with a bad pair of shoes.
Kazzy

 

[mana'olana]

DH and I were a little hesitant about them, we're Keen lovers when it comes to walking around non-stop for hours and hours. I bought a pair for DD and she loved them! It's all she wears now. Well, I got a pair for myself and DH. We switch between them, Keens and our tennies. Personally, I think they're kind of odd looking but they're are very comfy. I agree with above poster - buy a pair and wear them around the house. I think they're only $30 or $35 if you get the Disney ones.

 

[Rustysmom]

I get a lot of pain in my feet when I walk. No matter what shoe I would wear, they would burn and hurt by the end of the day. Last year I bought a pair of Crocs and my feet didn't hurt! I never wore them to Disney yet, but I wore them all day to several theme parks including Six Flags and I could just keep going.

Yes, they are hideous looking, but when you have size 11 feet like I do, pretty much any shoe looks like a boat anyway. At least I'm wearing a comfortable boat. LOL

 

[patiently waiting]

I love my Crocs. I bought them for our trip last May. And they are coming with me again in Sept. I didn't have any problem with blisters or sweating feet. I did hear that the knock off Crocs make your feet sweat. They are great for the rides you get wet on and also if it decides to rain. You don't have to worry about walking around in wet sneakers. They dry very quickly.

 

[contempory4me]

My kids gave me my Disney Crocs for my B-day. I wear them where ever I can. DD is a teen and doesn't want me to wear them in public. When she's driving me nuts- I wear them anyways
They look funny and will surely be on VH1 "Back to 2007" but you can't beat the comfort.
Besides, you get to walk around with Mickey on your feet, how cool is that!

 

[Mischa]

I was hesitant at buying a pair (I hate spending a lot of money on shoes and then find out they aren't comfy). But these are definitely comfy! Mine were $30 and I actually bought them from our local Hallmark store.

They look hilarious but they are comfy and that's all that matters to me. I'll use them for the first time at WDW in June.

I will say the very first time I wore them I did get a slight blister, but since then I've worn those socks that just cover your toes (I got them at walmart) and I haven't had a problem since.

Just my 2 cents!

 

[disgram]

Last August, I wore the Crocs the whole time we were in WDW. They are fantastic!!! I was really worried about blisters but it didn't happen, except one day when my DGD convinced me to wear my sneakers, and guess what? That was the only day that I had blisters!! I wear them here at home too. We are planning another trip in August, and I am taking the two pair that I have and looking into getting a pair of the Cleos, too!!!

 

[MomofCKJ]

My kids and I all have them (multiple pairs) and wore them on our last WDW trip. They are awesome! No blisters, no pain from walking all day, just comfy, comfy, comfy. Ugly? Yes but comfy! And I love how if they get wet its no big deal. I used to think they were so ugly I would never try them but once I did I was converted pretty quickly!

Allyson

 

[PrincessHeart]

Just beware of the knock-offs. They are not made of the same materials as crocs. Crocs have a patent. My DD has a real crocs, a pair from payless and ones made by sketchers and says that the crocs are much better. She almost never wears the knock offs even though she likes the looks of her knock offs better (ones pink hello kitty & the other is a swirl of pink/purple). I think the real crocs would be best for a long day at the park.

 

[love2teach]

I'm kind of debating this Croc issue myself. Personally, I think they're ugly (I don't mean to offend anyone who likes them!! , and they honestly don't look all that comfy. But I have heard others I work with talk about how comfy they are. I think that if I decide to get a pair I'll get them early enough so that I can try them out before going.

 

[CinRell]

I became a croc addict about a year ago because I like "odd looking" things and because they ARE pretty comfy. However last week I realized just how great these things are. I never noticed just how comfy until I was diagnosed last week with gout.. severe foot arthritus. I couldn't walk at all. When I could finally hobble, the only shoe that fit over the swelling was my crocs... and after walking with them on for a day my foot actually felt BETTER!!! I'm convinced the crocs helped me heal up faster. I swear by them now. Today is the first day I didn't wear them and I"m wearing a good brand sports tennis shoe and my foot is already starting to throb. Back to crocs tomorrow. They're really amazing...

 

[PrincessHeart]

They are comfy. Who would wear something so ugly if they were not comfy? When my Mom first showed them to me I thought she was nuts, but they bought them for my kids and they didn't want to wear any other shoes. One day my husband toook dd to tennis and then realized she had the crocs on not tennis shoes . I have a hard time getting them to stop wearing them when it gets cold here. I'm cleaning house today (well um i'm supposed to be cleaning!) and I'm wearing mine right now.

 

[Jill in Chicago]

I have never tried them. I plan to buy a pair and wear them on my next trip to the mall. That should be a good testing ground for comfort. I figure at the very least I can wear them to the beach and pool if they are not comfy enough for long distance walking. No matter what kind of new shoes I buy for Disney I plan to "test walk" them. All of our feet are so different.

 

[Bondfan531]

I'm seriously debating getting a pair myself before our trip in June. My daughter has a pair and loves them. I was wondering though, do y'all wear socks with them, like the footie "no show" type? Seems like walking around all blooming day in them, feet sweating, would give a girl some serious blisters.

 

[d23cndrela]

I have the Croc Flip Flops. I got them last year before our disney trip and i just loved them. I wore only them all week and my feet never hurt. can you imagine flip flops all week and no blisters!!!! i don't know about the moon shoe look ones but i say go get the flip flops I just love them!!!1

 

[excitedtraveler]

I've never tried them but I am thinking about getting a pair for myself and dd for our trip. I'm not a big fan of the clogs so I was thinking about getting one of the slides, maryjan or sandal types. I have a hard time deciding what color, though!

 

[tink&donald]

One of my students did some research on Crocs, and he told me that they were orginaly make out of recycled Kayaks and were designed for people who stand on their feet all day ( nurses, teachers, etc.)

That having been said, I like them because they let my feet "breath." Also, if it rains or you get wet on a water ride, you don't have to worry about walking around in soggy tennis shoes.

They are really comfortable. In fact, on my last trip, I wore my Tevas on the first day and got blisters on the balls of both my feet. I was able to wear my crocs, and they did not bother my blisters at all!

 

[zaza]

When I first saw Crocs on my nieces in late 2004, I thought they were hideous. I would be embarrassed to tell you how many pairs I have and I love them! I used to have to wear Birkenstocks or my feet/legs always hurt. Crocs are even better--sometimes I get blisters with my Birks at Disney and it doesn't happen with Crocs. Last year (first Croc-Disney trip), I wore them with the no-see-um socks but this May, I'm planning to go without socks. I have the original Croc flip-flop, too--I think it's called the Athens. I haven't worn it to Disney yet, but I've worn it for other theme parks and my feet don't hurt--in flip flops!
I just got a new pair of shoes Saturday and I think they might be almost as good. They are from LL Bean, $29.50, and they're called Mary Jane Summer Sneakers. I've been wearing them ever since I got them (all 2 1/2 days) and even wore them to serve a dinner at church last night--no pain, no blisters. They are supposed to be water-friendly, too.
If my feet don't hurt, I've decided I don't much care what the shoes I have on look like!

 

[mill4023]

I'm kind of debating this Croc issue myself. Personally, I think they're ugly (I don't mean to offend anyone who likes them!! , and they honestly don't look all that comfy. But I have heard others I work with talk about how comfy they are. I think that if I decide to get a pair I'll get them early enough so that I can try them out before going.

I think at least 90% of us Crocs wearers agree that they are ugly. We just don't care. Being a guy, I was especially reluctant to wear them. Especially when DW threatened that she wouldn't go out in public with me if I bought some.

I have flat feet and they always start to hurt after a few hours of standing or walking. On our first 2 trips, to WDW, my feet were killing me by lunchtime every day. I tried all kinds of gel or foam inserts and several different pairs of shoes (including some that I got at a high quality shoe store where they picked them out specifically for my feet). Nothing helped.

But last year, I got some for my birthday. Despite the ugliness, I wore them for our December trip last year and I can honestly say that I will NEVER again go to WDW without Crocs. Now that's not to say that my feet never got sore or tired, but it was nothing compared to our first 2 trips. On this trip, it wasn't until the end of a full day that my feet started to get sore. My wife also got over the ugliness and did in fact go out in public with me, probably because it was much better than my constant whining and complaining about how much my feet hurt on our previous trips.

One thing I can't do is wear them without socks. I know lots of people say they don't feel plasticky or rubbery, but to me they do. Maybe it's just because I'm a guy and have hair on my feet that gets pulled by the Crocs. I don't know. But with socks (despite the fact that they are even more ugly), I love my Crocs. My wife even bought me a pair of Mickey Crocs for Christmas and bought the largest size they make, but unfortunately, the Crocs company doesn't seem to think men who wear a 12 or 13 would want Mickey Crocs since they don't make them in my size. I currently have a brown pair and I'm thinking of getting something brighter for our next trip. I figure if I'm going to wear ugly shoes, I might as well make a statement and wear brightly colored ugly shoes.