Water Parks - Shoes?

[Kirsteen]

I read somewhere that water shoes are a good idea for the water parks - do you guy sbother with these and where do you buy them from? Thanks, Kxx

 

[Graeme]

You don't need them, all the surfaces inside the parks are foot friendly and you would need to take them off and hold them while on the slides. Having said that my wife uses them and I would think they would be near essential for kids as the paths do get quite hot.
You can get them cheaply on I drive in most of the gift shops or in Publix/Walgreens, or they are sold in the disney parks for a little bit more, but they aren't expensive.

 

[Kirsteen]

Thanks Graeme, I think if they are not compulsory that we won't bother - thanks for your help

 

[Miffy2003]

I have always worn my watershoes on the slides Graeme Has this changed? The only place I have ever had to take them off was in a waterpark in Ibiza. I have been to TL & BB many many times.

I would recommend them thoroughly. When the ground is hot it can be painful without them*, and I found it far easier to not have to navigate the ground in bare feet.

You can buy them in the water park - approx cost $12 and they come with Disney logos. Alternatively you can get them from WalMart for about $3

Each to his own, but I wouldn't contemplate going to a water park without them.

*ETA this was in August so the ground wouldn't necessarily be that hot depending on when your trip is

 

[spookysarah]

My famly and I wore water shoes to Typhoon Lagoon but our feet were 'rotten' from being wet all day. I had a blister too (the only one of the trip). When we went to Blizzard beach we went barefoot and it was sooo much better! We went in June / July and yes the ground was hot in places but was bearable. My girls were 9 and 7 but did not complain. For very little ones I might consider it a good idea.

We found that shoes had to be taken off on body slides eg Humunga Cowabunga, Storm slides etc but were OK in a slide that you sat in a ring. Hope that makes sense.

Edited to add - when we went down Storm slides I had to carry 3 pairs of shoes, LOL!!

Sarah x

 

[Miffy2003]

That's a good point Spookysarah - I haven't been on Humunga Cowabunga (or the like) since 1993

 

[lagunn]

We did'nt have to take our's off in Sept last year.

 

[wayneg]

Been to TL today, about 100 degrees the floor was mega hot. DW bought some water shoes in Publix $4.99 as we forgot to pack ours. As mentioned they would not let anyone on the body slides with shoes on, or glasses or hats. They were really strict today. Never seen the place as busy, wave pool was like a big tin of sardines, at lazy river entrances there was about 20-30 people waiting for rings all 6 hours we were there.

 

[disneyholic family]

we always leave TL and BB by 11:00 so we don't need anything on our feet - but if you're there later, you won't be able to stand the heat of the cement...

 

[Jakey Rowling]

In July this year BB staff were strict in was you could wear down the slides, even "proper" water park shoes which in my case had no chance of coming off my feet

I gave up and just went barefoot and normally I find it pretty hot on the feet but I thought it was OK, a bit hot in places but OK.

I thought they had much more water spraying on the footpaths than in previous years to help keep things cool. This might have been because I was barefoot though.

 

[Goofey's Girl]

Hi

We always go barefoot. We only use crocs, flip flops etc to get us into the park and when we walk for food etc. The concrete in the carpark can be red hot. Kids usually wear trainers and socks but at the waterparks we find this abit of a pain...sand in socks etc so they use flip flops.

Once you have your sunbeds we leave them underneath and walk round barefoot all the time unless going to the toilets or for food.

Have a great time.

 

[Graeme]

Never seen the place as busy, wave pool was like a big tin of sardines

Nightmare!! So pleased we are a 'no-kids' couple who only go in May or Sept!

 

[aaronandterri]

totally agree get them, the floor is so hot, my dad struggled to walk in bare feet, had my 2 year old watering him a trail with his watering can ........

 

[Twilight Terror]

You don't need them, all the surfaces inside the parks are foot friendly and you would need to take them off and hold them while on the slides.

Not sure I totally agree with you there Graeme. The footpaths maybe smooth and for the most part stone/pebbleless, but in the summer they can get incredibly hot. Yes, there are sprinklers along all the footpaths, but my feet can testify to the fact that there are not enough in the summer months.

Last year, we went late August time, we went to BB first. During the afternoon, we were jumping from sprinkler to sprinkler. We went up to watch Summit Plummet from the balcony area underneath where you go over the edge, and couldn't even hang around long enough to watch one person leave from the top and come out at the end - the ground was THAT hot.

I ended up with blisters on my feet, and not from bad shoes, but because the heat of the footpaths had burnt my feet and caused the blisters. Surprisingly, when we got back from BB that night, we went straight to Wal-Mart and picked up a pair of water shoes for $5.99 each.

TL proved a much more pleasant experience later in the week thanks to those shoes. They also proved invaluable for walking around the parks in some of the aftermath rainstorms of TS Ernesto.

Also, we didn't spent much time in BB pool, but the bottom of the TL pool is very rough on the feet (and knees and elbows!), so water shoes can help make that a better experience too.

My advice: buy them! You can always take them off while you're there if you want to, but if you burn/hurt your feet while you're there, you'll feel it for days after!