My fiance' and I are spending 4 nights at the Outrigger Reef in September as part of our stay on the islands. We have booked a partial ocean view room. Question: How good of a view are these rooms? And, is it possible to upgrade these rooms w/ the desk clerk and what is considered a good tip to get this accomplished. Very inexperienced at tipping for room upgrades. Advice is greatly welcomed! Thank you.

PJ,

Every hotel's oceanview is different - I'd ask my reservations clerk to be specific. I've found their descriptions to be pretty reliable. Outriggers are usually very upfront about everything. I've never tipped for an upgrade, so can't help you there! Have a great trip.

Just ONE partial "ocean view room"? Shame on you! If you are so unconcerned with morals, character, commitment, values, what difference does the "view" make, for heavens sake? My guess is that "partial" means just that. Which you should, of course, understand just perfectly. You'll be leaning way out the window (hopefully not inebriated) craning for that "partial view". If the place is booked solid (and, where is it, by the way?) there is no tip substantial enough for your desired "upgrade". If it's not booked solid, it's probably a bummer anyway. Is there any mention of other than "partial" views? Those "in the know" (which you clearly are not) will have grabbed the best rooms. All in all, unless the place is underbooked at less or even more than desirable times, you'll just get your "partial view" - if you're lucky. Regardless, I am totally perplexed over your concern. If you desire more than a "partial" view, why not book that? And, again, if that were not available, what, pray tell, would make you think anything better will be available upon arrival. Oh, please, do explain...No matter where you go, though, no tip on the planet will grab you a better room if they've been properly reserved by others...

Ralph, I think you're reading WAY too much into the question. He/she is asking about getting a better room than one that was assigned, not state secrets. Why didn't you just come out and say your REAL concern is of them doing it together 'out of wedlock'?

PJ- Sorry, don't have experience with that, but good luck.

Ralph,

If you were trying to be funny then perhaps you did a decent job. If you were not, then you got some problems. Perhaps a little too tightly wound. I personally think it is great to have an ocean view when you spend a lot of time in the room f*ing. I have found that the partial ocean view (and even the ocean view) rooms sometimes have a very limited view of the ocean. I don't know if tipping will help but it always helps to inquire about an upgrade.

Partial view is just that - you may or may not be able to see the ocean from the window/balcony without leaning outwards!! Most hotels in Waikiki, unless fronting the ocean, have very limited views because there are so many buildings there. Even ocean front hotels have rooms that face the street and a side room may be considered partial view but you will have a sliver of a view because of adjacent bldgs. I'd reserve ocean front if this is a problem.
NO you do not offer a top to the fornt desk clerk - it's not considered correct at all. You can politely ask if there are any upgrades available and for how much. If the hotel is not booked solid it is possible to get a better room at no extra charge sometimes, or at a small increase. Ask - but don't try and hand over money. It's uncouth.

Wouldn't it be more important to inquire about the soundproofing?

PJ-

Most previous advice pretty true. Have never stayed @ the Outrigger (partial to Shearton) but if you stay w/ partial then I would say ask for a room on a higher floor and on the Diamond Head side of the hotel. That way if you don't get to see too much of the ocean you'll still have a beatiful of the volcano (which is totally worth the short hike up to its observation point for a great view of Waikiki and the valley on the south side of the island).

You may have more luck letting the desk clerk know you are engaged and/or "celebrating" something special which may open the conversation to a better room w/o tipping which is probably a dead end.

Good luck, enjoy and eat a meal at Duke's for great view, good people watching and decent food.

MM,
When do you ask for a possible upgrade, we're going on Tues (7/18) to get married and honeymoon should I call ahead of time or ask when we get there and they tell us which room?

MM,
When do you ask for a possible upgrade? When you get there and they tell you which room you've been assigned or should I call ahead, we're leaving for Hawaii on the 18th to get married and honeymoon there.

Hey Ralph: have you had the occasion lately to take notice of what a loser you are? No? Didn't think so.
I assume you weren't trying to be funny, because I couldn't detect even a little bit of humor. If you were moralizing, you were awfully vague (and comments weren't warranted to begin with).
Just what in the heck were you trying to say? I didn't get any message beyond the hostility.

PJ: a partial ocean view is doubtfully going to wow you. If a view is really important, you'll probably have to book a full OV room. I agree with the others that tipping for upgrades is really quite tacky in Hawaii. In Las Vegas, it's sometimes done and not frowned upon, but that's the nature of LV.

BZ-

I would try both. Call now and see how full the hotel is. This time of year it's likely to be pretty full but you never know. If they say that there's nothing likely, lay on the charm when you check in. Mention it's your "big day" and if they have the space, they may move you up. If not they might still provide you w/ some modest amenity (like a bottle of bubbly) to help you celebrate.

Congratulations and good luck.

Also, dining tip to all who like Thai food. Don't miss Keo's. Right off Kalakaua Avenue. It's a must stop for me every trip.

PJ:

Partial Ocean View, Ocean View, and Ocean Front are all different from each other.

Ocean View means that you won't have to lean out to the side of your lanai (balcony) to see the ocean - but the view of the ocean may still not be a prime view because of distance or other obstacles in the way.

Partial Ocean View is just as Meg had described earlier.

Ocean Front is... the gorgeous blue ocean is right there in front of you with its overwhelming beauty!

The Outrigger Reef is a prime hotel on right on the beach. All views should be available during the time that you will be here. However, if you plan on being out and about, its probably not worth spending the extra cash. You won't be disappointed.

Visit the Aloha Flea Market at Aloha Stadium and take back some great souveniers to your friends and family. As much as possible, try to stay away from buying anything in Waikiki. Prices are tremendously inflated in that area. If you're renting a car, driving 10-15 minutes outside of Waikiki will save you a nice amount of money.

Enjoy our island!
Aloha!

Thanks for your opinions (at least some of them!) Since this will be our honeymoon, we wanted to get the best room we could afford and were hoping that maybe we could use the honeymoon as a selling point to get a cheaper upgrade. We'll make sure we mention it at check-in and I'll give the hotel a call in advance to find out.