Shoes?!?!

PMC0849

Well-Known Member
Last year the shoes I wore did not work, I had the worst blisters I've ever had. What shoes do you swear by when going to WDW? Not trying to spend $200-300 either.
 

King Racoon 77

Thank you sir. You were an inspiration.
Premium Member
Unpopular opinion but
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Vacationeer

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
No matter what shoes you bring - also bring moleskin just in case. At the first sign of skin friction, slap a piece of moleskin over to keep from blistering. Even if a blister develops, you can slap a piece of moleskin on top of that and forget about it for days. This stuff has saved us more times that I can count. I always have some in our park pack and more back at the room.
 
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allgiggles

Well-Known Member
You should wear whatever shoes you wear in your everyday life that are comfortable for you. Buy a new pair (or two) a few months before going to Disney to make sure they're broken in and less likely to cause blisters at Disney. For years I wore Nike & New Balance at home and that's what I took to Disney -- switching off between the 2 every other day. Two years ago I started wearing Hokas and dropped the Nike shoes. Last year at Disney I wore my New Balance sneakers 2 out of 8 days and Hokas the rest of the days. Next time I'll only take my 2 different versions of Hokas. They were by far the most comfortable shoes for me at Disney. YMMV.
 
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NeedMoreMickey

Well-Known Member
I like Brooks sneakers. For years I’ve tried different shoes and no matter what I wore I got a blister on my little toe. I started training for a 10k and my niece suggested using Body Glide on my feet. I may wrap my toe with moleskin or a blister bandaid in the morning but I’ll use body or foot glide on my feet, also throw it in my park bag
 
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some other guy

Well-Known Member
I haven't been to the parks in ages, but back in the day I'd wear steel toed boots
you've never had fun until you laugh that jerk who thought he'd just step on your feet as he falls flat on his butt
 
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Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
I'm a big fan of changing footwear once a day, in order to keep any part of my feet from getting rubbed in the same spots for too long.

For our morning touring, I wear a sturdy, broken-in pair of sneakers (usually Skechers or New Balance, but I'll take any brand so long as it has REAL rubber soles and not the slippery-when-wet marshmallow stuff, plus good arch support and footbed cushioning), with moisture-wicking socks.

In the afternoon/evening (when we're generally less hurried and doing less walking), or if the forecast calls for lots of rain, I wear Teva Tirra sandals, or even Clarks flip-flops or Crocs Cleo Sandals (Crocs footbed, but straps across the top like a typical sandal). Again, all of these (with the exception of the Crocs, which I do find can be slippery when wet) are water-repellant, comfortable, offer good arch support, and don't tend to "rub me the wrong way." The Tevas offer the additional advantage of being fully adjustable, with Velcro on every strap, so if my feet swell up in the heat and a strap starts to get a little tight, I can simply adjust it before a blister forms.
 
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HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
If you wind up going for a sneaker, I'd suggest going to a running shop to get fitted. It shouldn't cost you anything extra, they'll assess you based on your needs/wear pattern/gait/etc., and you should get to try on a good 5-10 pairs of shoes. No one brand or shoe is right for everyone. Case in point, my current favorite high cushion shoe is a Brooks Glycerin 20, but my husband is all about the ASICS Gel Nimbus 25. Good shoes like this also need little to no break in period. In fact, if they're as broken in as some people think shoes should be, they'd actually be worn out. Shoes like these that are designed for distance running also tend to be more breathable, so your feet won't get as hot...although, it's important to pair them with socks that do the same and offer some cushioning and protection at common blister points. My fave socks are Balega Silver No Show and Feetures High Performance Cushion No Show.
 
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CaptainAmerica

Premium Member
I'm a big fan of changing footwear once a day, in order to keep any part of my feet from getting rubbed in the same spots for too long.
Especially when it's sweaty at a minimum and potentially completely soaked through with rain. I totally agree about changing shoes midday, or at the very least every-other-day. Keeping your feet dry over the course of the trip is as important as what you pack in the first place.

I usually bring:
 
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CaptainAmerica

Premium Member
If you wind up going for a sneaker, I'd suggest going to a running shop to get fitted. It shouldn't cost you anything extra, they'll assess you based on your needs/wear pattern/gait/etc., and you should get to try on a good 5-10 pairs of shoes. No one brand or shoe is right for everyone. Case in point, my current favorite high cushion shoe is a Brooks Glycerin 20, but my husband is all about the ASICS Gel Nimbus 25. Good shoes like this also need little to no break in period. In fact, if they're as broken in as some people think shoes should be, they'd actually be worn out. Shoes like these that are designed for distance running also tend to be more breathable, so your feet won't get as hot...although, it's important to pair them with socks that do the same and offer some cushioning and protection at common blister points. My fave socks are Balega Silver No Show and Feetures High Performance Cushion No Show.
"Come get your feet laser measured by our machine so we can sell you $160 running shoes."

For the vast majority of people, four pairs of $40 sneakers are more valuable than a single pair of $160 sneakers. And I say that as a jerk who wears $130 flip flops.

But I 100% endorse the idea that good socks are just as important as well-fitting shoes.
 
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HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
"Come get your feet laser measured by our machine so we can sell you $160 running shoes."

For the vast majority of people, four pairs of $40 sneakers are more valuable than a single pair of $160 sneakers. And I say that as a jerk who wears $130 flip flops.

But I 100% endorse the idea that good socks are just as important as well-fitting shoes.

While it's great that you can get by with cheap shoes, that's really not the case for most people, especially as we age. There are countless posts on here, other theme park groups, general travel forums, and Facebook groups about people regretting their cheap footwear choices. Those regrets and pleas for better options are usually followed by a chorus of people who spent more on good shoes and had no regrets. While they come close, neither of the shoes I noted exceed $200 and bargain shoppers know that you can buy previous models at deep discounts. Sites like 6pm have Glycerin 18s and 19s marked down to the $76-105 range. At the end of the day, I'd rather spend more on my shoes and be comfortable than take the risk and potentially have to cut my park time short because I cheaped out on footwear that led to pain and possible costly medical issues.
 
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