Walking / Running Shoe For Disney

[hayesdvc]

i am a male with a wide foot.

Looking for the "best" athletic type shoe you would recommend for the wears and tears of a Disney vacation.

Thanks

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

The best athletic / walking shoe for wide feet is New Balance. The normal width for men is the D width. New Balance shoes also come in 2E and 4E. It can be difficult to find the wide versions in a retail store, so you may want to try out Amazon. There are several models available, depending on what you are looking for. MX608 is an inexpensive walking shoe. They are fine, but next time I might try the more expensive model.
I also have the 806 model, which is good for walking and tennis.

 

[TLinden16]

Everyone's feet are different, so I would definitely just try shoes/sneakers on and find one that is comfortable for your feet, and make sure you break them in before the trip. Also I usually bring an extra pair of sneakers with me so I can rotate out for a day or two (I usually bring a comfy pair on it's last leg that I can throw away).

One tip that someone gave me that has worked well is to get a pair that is a half size bigger than you need. I used to always get blisters at Disney, and since I started getting bigger shoes, I don't get blisters anymore (and I walk 25-35,000 a day).

 

[Kidanifan08]

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.

 

[Micca]

I don't know how people can do Disney in flip-flops!

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.

 

[Splashboat]

I have wasted so much money trying to find a shoe that doesn't end up giving me blisters after several days of walking. Someone suggested changing shoes and I think that helped but the best thing for me is buying a few packs of moleskin. As soon as an area gets sore, I put it on and it has saved my feet every time.

 

[ears2BWV]

I am a runner, or at least an older version of the runner I once was, and I have very good luck with socks made from a company called wright sock. They have some they call no blister, and I've ran some pretty long distances in them without trouble. You can find them at any running store or online. They come in all heights. I still think starting with a good fitting shoe is key, but a bunched up sock can cause trouble after hours of walking around the World.

 

[jyoon]

Try a runners store like fleet feet

 

[Cyberc1978]

I would recommend a pair of skechers, either the go walk 4 or go flex.

I have a pair of each and they are perfect for walking all day, I switch between them on park days.

The go walk also come in extra wide.

 

[DisBuckMan]

New Balance.

Like you, I have a wide foot (4E). New Balance has catered to folks with wide feet for probably longer than any other athletic shoe company out there. They're all I buy.

Not sure where you live, but Academy Sports and Shoe Station always have good selections of New Balance shoes with plenty of wide sizes at good prices.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

As mentioned everyone is different an what works for someone won't necessarily work for another person. In the case of DH - terrible foot issues when we first went to Disney. But he was wearing terrible shoes.

His preference now - Ecco sandals. He does not do as well wearing athletic shoes.

 

[dbenlee]

I wear the New Balance 624 Cross Trainer in size 14 2E. I have worn them in the park several times and I wear them at work where I spend a lot of time on my feet. For my feet and size I find these to be the most comfortable to me. I've never gotten blisters while wearing them and they last well.

 

[Sondra Sunflowers]

Agree - get some high quality running socks. I also have a wide foot (female) and only wear New Balance. I also switch out shoes with high quality sport sandals and that seems to give my feet a break.

 

[Anal Annie]

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.

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.

 

[Anal Annie]

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.

That's why I visited an orthopedic shoe store to buy the proper fit sandals. I used to try to wear soft cushy sandals by Clark etc. and once I went to a good shoe store I found out I had been buying the wrong size all these years too. None of the sandals with the proper support are soft & cushy. I used to equate soft & cushy with comfort but they weren't keeping my knees aligned so my knees always hurt at Disney. The store I go to sells Birkenstocks, Olukai and Vionics for sandals. There ARE sandals with good support that can be worn all day and provide the support needed for 9 or 10 miles of walking per day...but they're not the cheapy soft & cushy ones. I actually had to get the store to to alter one pair of my Olukai and tighten the straps so they would fit properly becuz I have narrow feet.

 

[Kidanifan08]

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.

Well, most of the flip-flops I see walking around WDW are the junky foam ones you can buy at a beach shop for $7! I'm sure the high end ones with good support would be more comfortable and tolerable. The Chacos that I wear have good arch support, but for me, the most important structure on my Chacos is the toe loop, which keeps the sole relatively centered on my foot. I also just found a cool sandal by Keen called Uneek. I wore them all day at HS yesterday and they were great!

 

[Judique]

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.

I always wear flip flops. The ones I wear are Crocs - the Citilane flip. I used to wear Crocband flip but they started making them 29.99 a pair. Now they have the Citilane at 29.99 a pair. There are often sales such as buy one get one half off, but I miss the days when I could get them for 7.99 at the outlet if I was willing to take whatever color they had.

After they are broke in I toss them. That means the initial support is gone from the foot bed.

I'm in my 60ties and I have been wearing these at Disney for a long time. I used to buy new athletic shoes when I first started going and then found that I was fine with the flips.

I would never wear the really cheap flips like the Old Navy ones but I have worn Reebok and Nike also with no problems. I don't have any foot issues to begin with.

It's the ladies in the high heels and sometimes tall boots that I marvel at!

 

[blluefaerie]

I would recommend the Nike Air Max 360. The cushioning saves any foot problem. Running shoes can become very hot there and not great on water rides thp/ I love to wear the Teva terradactyl (sp?) a water sandal... Lightweight, cushioned and good support. it just depends on your feet. I require great cushioning. Hope this helps.