Ladies, what kind of shoes do you bring to WDW?

[Shelly D.]

I'm packing! Yippee! But, I can't decide what shoes to pack. We usually go in the summer and I bring tennis shoes, but this time our trip is in December and I'm bringing jeans and most are boot cut and look funny with tennis shoes.

Any suggestions on comfy shoes or good brands that you always wear when trekking the parks? Can you look styling and avoid blisters?!?

 

[delswife]

Here's an excelent link for you!

www.badshoe.com

Hope this helps!

 

[TreeOfLife]

Definitely well broken in, athletic sandals! Forget nice store sandals and sneakers. If you get in a water ride you'll lose your shoes or be in agony in soaking wet sneaks and cotton socks.

I just bought my children two pairs of LLBean sandals, they dry in a jiffy. I have an old pair of Timberland and EMS, those are for me...

 

[zurgswife]

Great Link Del.....

i only wear tennis shoes and maybe tevas in the warmer weather...but only tennis shoes this trip...Looking a little silly beats the heck out of sore feet...

 

[lagirl]

I'm glad I found this topic as I'm going in February and right now I don't know how the weather will be. I was planning on wearing tennis but I really don't like wearing them with jeans (if it's cool enough to wear jeans during the day).

 

[CamColt]

Good question. Some of my jeans I only wear with black boots(the short kind), however a part of me feels silly wearing boots in Florida. Hmm, now you got me thinking.

 

[WhispyPixie]

Sketchers are great winter touring shoes...the low cut hiking type boots look great with anything but shorts lol....

 

[stacy6552]

Ryka makes (or made, my friend found them in an outlet)a great brown suede slip on. They usually make womens athletic shoes, and I just love them.

 

[DisneyObsessed]

OK. What's wrong with wearing sneakers with jeans? What are you guys telling me, I look like a dork?

 

[crisi]

I wear sneakers with my jeans too. If you care, just have your family take pictures from the knees up....strangers won't care if you aren't the height of fashion, and in a year you will completely forget what you wore on your feet.

I have Choco sandals, which I love for the summer. Last summer I got them wet and the wet straps were causing blisters (normally, these things are great, but wet isn't good - they are a good pair of athletic sandals that are suppose to do fine wet, but they don't. I don't like my Tevas, they aren't comfortable wet or dry, but I have a bad "model".). So I ened up buying Minnie Mouse socks to keep the blisters down. Sure I could have ended up on badshoe.....but I was able to walk the rest of the day.

 

[BriarRose59]

Tennis shoes with great support and that are comfortable! I am not going to a fashion show, I am trying to have a good time without worrying about my feet.

Here is your wet shoe tip of the day. When you go to your room find a newspaper, wad up a page or so and put it in each shoe. In an hour or so, change the paper. Try to change the paper 3 times or so before morning. In the morning your shoes will be dry.

Have a great time and don't worry about how you look. Comfort is key when going to the World.

 

[bearzabout]

I love my Ecco walking shoes. Their European styling makes them look dressier than athletic shoes.

The shoes are only part of keeping my feet happy. I have discovered other tips that keep my feet from getting sore after 10 long days in the parks.

I found that Tempur-pedic insoles from Brookstone provide the extra cushion I need to prevent my feet from hurting at the end of a long day.

I wear Wrightsock blister inhibiting double layer running socks. I used to get blisters before discovering the wonders of blister inhibiting socks.

As extra protection, I roll Blister Shield on my toes. This silicone-based roll-on provides long lasting lubrication to prevent blisters and chafing. My husband loves this stuff.

If you wear sandals, carry pre-cut moleskin to cover hot spots before they turn into blisters.

I think that comfort is more important than style. I want to remember the great time I had on my trip and not how much my feet hurt.

 

[my3boys]

Merrell, Teva, and Born are our family's choice of shoes. They have so many styles that many will go with jeans.

Birkenstock is also great and our 6 year old's preference.

 

[Familymoon]

I will bring my broken in tennies and my well-formed cork bed Birkenstocks. I wear them everywhere and man can you keep going and going in them! I might also bring my waterproof birkis (clogs) that have a cushioned (removable) footbed. For the sandals I have wool/cotton blend socks to keep the piggies warm.

 

[Disney Fool]

I'm with familymoon! All you fashion divas go right ahead and coordinate your wardrobe. I'm for comfy feet at Disney! Are you folks aware that the average (emphasize AVERAGE) visitor to Disney walks roughly 12 miles a day? I always take the ugliest, broken down, worn out, comfy sneakers with arch supports that I own. I never, ever buy NEW shoes to go to Disney. Big mistake. If you haven't bought your shoes six weeks before, and worn them every day, don't bother. Your feet won't thank you. Nobody will be checking out your shoes, but they will notice if you are taking tiny, wincing steps, and can't keep up with the rest of your family.

 

[goofy4tink]

About that newspaper trick.....it really works!!! We were there in August, during the torrential downpours. Went on a trail ride and my feet/sneakers were soaked thru before I got off the horse!!! Finally, just took them off and went barefoot from the kennel area to the bus to TTC and then back to Polynesian. We stuffed our shoes with newspaper and they were fine after about 24 hrs. But, you have to remember to bring two pair with you. I always wear my broken in sneakers. And I bring a pair of sandals. As long as my tummy bulge isn't showing, I don't care what the rest of me looks like

 

[hockeymom7691]

I'm definitely going for comfort over fashion! I will be wearing my Nike Walking shoes with my capri's as silly as that may look!!

I do have a question though regarding the Birkenstocks. I've never owned a pair but heard they're having some great sales at the Outlet Store. Any style better than another? Do these need breaking in time too or can you just put them on and hit the parks?

 

[Shelly D.]

Thanks for all the great replies! If I came off sounding like a "fashion diva" I certainly didn't mean to! I'm a stay-at-home mom so I'm in shorts and athletic shoes everyday. This is a big vacation for me and I want something different. But I will also be bringing my Nikes. I just want to be able to switch off.

I did a search on the web last night and looked at the Clark's site. It sounds like those are designed as walking shoes so I might look into that. I also like the idea of hiking-type boots. Those would probably warmer and more weather-resistant than by athletic shoes. I don't know why I start thinking about these things days before the trip!

I LOVED the badshoe site. Now I'll really be on the lookout. We always do a double take when we see girls in skirts and high heels walking through the parks.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Shelly D.]

Oh I forgot to add this:

DawnF316 - I'm sure you're not a dork in your sneakers and jeans! I wear them together all the time too. But, I've noticed that I have more boot cut leg jeans in my closet this winter and since athletic shoes don't have a heel on them, they look kind of funny and make my jeans swipe the floor. Maybe I just need new jeans and not new shoes.

Or maybe I'm just finding excuses to go shopping.

 

[Familymoon]

Originally posted by hockeymom7691
I do have a question though regarding the Birkenstocks. I've never owned a pair but heard they're having some great sales at the Outlet Store. Any style better than another? Do these need breaking in time too or can you just put them on and hit the parks?

It depends on the model. I have the arizona three strap sandals - and those have a cork footbed. What this means is - yes, it needs break-in time, definitely. And, I can't walk too long in them without socks or I get hotspots.

However, if you can find the surgeons shoes (they are the medical ones - they're anti-static clogs and have a cushioned footbed) they are made to be worn on your feet for hours at a time. So, those you can definitely buy and wear. You should be able to tell immediately when you put them on which style they are. I've heard some sandals are coming with the foam or cushioned footbed, but I haven't seen them IRL yet.

Where is the outlet??!! I MUST know. I get mine at www.jestelkg.com - but that's somewhere in Denmark and they are SOOOOOO cheap (but the free shipping literally takes 6 weeks or more). Last year I bought three pairs of clogs for the price of one in the stores!!