I don't know how people can do Disney in flip-flops!
I agree with TLinden 16 -- the best shoe is the shoe that fits you best. I've worn Nike, Adidas and New Balance, and they all have worked out fine, as long as they fit right. Getting a half size up is not a bad idea, as feet can often swell a little when you're upright and doing all that walking all day (and eating salty snacks -i.e. Disney popcorn!). Nowadays, I usually wear Chaco Z/2 sandals, as they fit great, don't hurt or cause (me) blisters, and they dry quickly after a rain event. The Z/1's don't work for me, as they don't have the toe loop, so my forefoot slides too much and leads to blisters on the bottom of the foot (ouch!). I don't know how people can do Disney in flip-flops! No matter what I where, I always take a box of band-aids and some moleskin just in case a certain spot rubs wrong.
Totally with you there. I tried it a time or two and it was just awful--I hurt all over! I haven't tried New Balance but I see many recommendations for them here and on other sites. DW & I go to a specialty shoe store where they have people that really understand about shoes/feet/comfort/support. They aren't cheap (nor are they crazy expensive) but they are well worth the money.
You have to wear GOOD sandals with the proper support, not the cheapy $10 ones. On our trip over July 4th week I brought 2 new pairs of athletic shoes that I had bought a half size up just to allow for the heat related swelling (1 pr Nike & 1 pr Asics) plus one pair of Birkenstock sandals and 2 pairs of Olukai sandals (both of those brands are sold at an orthopedic shoe store BTW). I had also brought a pair of Croc sandals and a pair of Teva's even tho they don't have the proper support but my feet were soooo swollen by the 2nd day that I couldn't even get the shoes on. By mid-week even tho I had loosened the straps up on the Birkenstocks I couldn't wear those either as my feet looked like loaves of bread dough rising and the straps were digging into them. The ONLY ones I could get my feet into were the 2 pairs of Olukai which are similar to flip flops but which do have appropriate support. I hated like hell to stretch the straps further on the Olukai as they're not cheap (I happen to have extrememly narrow feet and finding sandals narrow enough are a problem) but they were all I could wear. Nothing else would fit my swollen feet. The Olukai do keep my knees from hurting as they keep my feet aligned properly for all the walking. If it weren't for the swelling I would have been fine all week. Once I had to put the Birks away I lived in the Olukai's for the rest of the week.
I don't know how people can do Disney in flip-flops! No matter what I where, I always take a box of band-aids and some moleskin just in case a certain spot rubs wrong.