sandals or sneakers?

Since I broke my ankle I need really good arch support because I don't have a lot of strength in it and my foot is over pronating. For a girl who is usually in ballet flats and flip flops, this has made life *much* more difficult. I've spent the past month trying to find a great pair of sandals that also have good support. The one shoe line that keeps popping up for me is Vionic. Does anyone have any experience with them?

I have lots of experience with buying shoes with good arches. A few years ago on a Disney trip you may recall I ended up on a scooter for most of the trip. It was my ankle that was swollen and hurt to bad to walk on. After seeing an orthopedic dr and two MRI's it was determined that my arch had fallen. That was great news as no surgery required. However, it does mean I had to have custom inserts made for my shoes. This worked wonders once my entire body realigned and got use to walking properly again. The down side to custom inserts is they do not fit in many normal shoes comfortably, not even most sneakers. The only brand that I feel as though they fit in with room for my foot is Xelero. I have started wearing off the shelf sandals some. I have several pairs of the Vionic. I can not wear any of them to really walk in. I wear them if we are just going out to dinner or someplace I will mostly be sitting. Better options are either OBEO, the Walking Company's brand or my favorite ECCO. I can walk all day in an ECCO sandal. I can not wear any of them all day every day for a Disney trip.

If you have need for a dressier sandal or clog, I have found the dansko brand has great arches. Again, I have never tried to walk all day long in them.

Awesome! Thanks Scrappy. I just noticed that we have a Walking Co store in town the other day and thought that I might try to stop in there. Right now I'm using a Dr. Scholls insert in my sneakers but it is really making so much of a different that I think this may just be the way of the future for me. I'll check out some of your other recommendations.

I also have fallen arches and wear orthotic inserts. New Balance works great for those too.

Flip flops, flip flops, and more flip flops! actually i alternate. Roughly vionic orthotic flips one day, Oofos super soft flips the next, and sneakers the next. I'm fine walking, but my feet just scream when we have to stand still for any length of time. Parades and fireworks are my kryptonite.

I "tried" vionics about two years ago. I ordered them from one of the shopping networks, followed the sizing guidelines, and was hoping they would be a good option for the parks.

I should preface with the statement that I've always had really flat feet. That said, once delivered, I tried my new vionic sandals for some light errands and light shopping (emphasis on light -- I seriously have perhaps the smallest Macy's store on the planet folks). Less than two hours into my light errands and shopping, I had a HUGE blister on the bottoms of my feet just inside the arch.

Its safe to say, my two hour test run resulted in a fast return (the seller had a solid 30 day return policy).

So my advice is this, they have extremely good ratings with online sellers/ shopping networks. BUT, If your feet are flat, or not used to orthotics.... beware.... especially as a park shoe. Quite simply, my poor little flat feet could not handle the coercing power of an orthotic, and rejected them soundly with blisters.

My feet later sought comfort in Keens and Crocs (which have been highly successful park options).

The one shoe that I've been wanting to try, however, is one of the "Memory foam" sneaker brands. I had a friend that used these as park shoes with some success.

I bought some Nike trainers especially for our trip and they were the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned. one night I attempted to wear gladiator sandals to Epcot.. big mistake!