My New Rainy-Day Park Bag Essential: Shoe Ponchos

I have added a new item to my Walt Disney World park bag, and I am mildly annoyed that it took me this long to discover them. Shoe ponchos!

These are exactly what they sound like: disposable plastic covers that slip over your shoes and cinch around the top with elastic. Think shower cap, but for your feet. And while they may not be the most glamorous thing I have ever worn through Magic Kingdom (read: my 10-year-old was embarrassed to be seen in them, and to be seen with me in them), I am officially a convert.

My daughter and I put them through a fairly aggressive trial run over the weekend in Orlando. We wore them through a couple of Florida downpours, on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and through two very soaking rides on Kali River Rapids.

Our shoes stayed completely dry through multiple situations where they should’ve gotten soaked and made us miserable the rest of the day. That is an enormous quality-of-life improvement compared to spending six-plus hours walking around Walt Disney World in wet tennis shoes.

Reliable versions are also surprisingly inexpensive and much sturdier than I expected. These aren’t necessarily one-and-done. We were able to wear the same pair through rain, take them off when the weather cleared, and use them again later for a water ride. They’re also made out of some sort of magic non-slip material, which is important because protecting your shoes is significantly less helpful if you immediately wipe out on wet pavement.

And they take up almost no room in a park bag!

There are obviously other ways to solve the wet-shoe problem. You can wear water-friendly shoes. You can bring flip-flops and change into them before Kali River Rapids. You can carry extra socks and hope your shoes dry eventually.

Or you can throw a couple of tiny shoe ponchos into your bag and forget about them until you need them. That is now my plan. I wouldn’t necessarily pack these for every single Disney day. But during rainy season? Absolutely. If there’s meaningful rain in the forecast, they’re coming with me. If Kali River Rapids is on the itinerary, they’re coming with me. If I’m traveling with a kid who considers every puddle a personal invitation, they are definitely coming with me.

They’re cheap, lightweight, reusable enough for a full park day, and they solve one of my least favorite Disney problems.

Shoe ponchos have definitely earned permanent rainy-season residency in my park bag, and you should consider bringing them along with you too.

These are the ones we tried and tested in the park, but you should be able to find plenty of options wherever you shop online.