The ethics of lying

A few months from now, my wife and I are going on another cruise.

If you remember a few years ago when we went to Africa, there was a lot of trouble with us reaching the ship which involved cabs, getting lost, police shakedowns and such.
https://fbhjr.dreamwidth.org/1527325.html
https://fbhjr.dreamwidth.org/1530405.htm
Or
https://fbhjr.livejournal.com/1532464.html
https://fbhjr.livejournal.com/1535582.html

Even in Dublin last year we had trouble. No where near as much as in Africa, but still.
https://fbhjr.dreamwidth.org/1607867.html or https://fbhjr.livejournal.com/1610537.html

The only time we didn’t have an issue was when the cruise company took care of all the details. But, in previous years they insisted on the plane, the hotel, the ground transportation and demanded an immense amount of money for it. I said no, I’ll be shaken down by the police for less. (And, it was about $3000 less per person…)

This time, our cruise planner said “we can bring you from the airport to the ship for $200”.
“Great!” I said. “We’ll be there the day before the cruise and you can pick us up!”

But, their answer was “No. We’ll only pick you up if you stay at one of our hotels or fly in the day the ship leaves”.

Now, I’m left with the question “If we fly in the day before, stay at the airport hotel, and walk back over to the arrivals building the day of the cruise, how will they know?”
The flight we’re taking is a daily flight. It arrives every morning at 10:30 AM. How will they know we walked over from the hotel? We can just say “oh, sorry, we must have walked past you. Never mind we seem awake, showered and ready to go…”

I’ve been rewatching The Good Place lately: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good_Place

One of the characters in there maintains it is wrong to lie under any circumstances, including lying to demons trying to get you sent to hell.

So, is it wrong to lie to a cruise sales person to make a 70km drive easier?
Rome isn’t Durban. Or, Dublin.
Maybe it’s only places that start with D…

I’m still pondering the lie.

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From:

brainbeast

A friend of mine had an 'adventure' in Africa too... I don't remember which country, maybe Botswana or something, he got 'arrested' and the cops took his passport and put him in the local jail cell, he bribed them with whiskey and got his passport back off the desk and escaped. It sounded like a B grade movie but that's the sort of crazy stuff that happens in some places..

msmidge

That character is repeating Kant’s take on lying, which is extreme and only one way of thinking about the situation. Personally, I would not have a problem with omitting information they don’t need to have in order to provide the service.

chris_warrior

this.

taz_39

I think you could do it, and the worst that could happen is that they DO know and refuse you the ride. So if you are willing to eat the cost of that if it happens, why tf not try it.

fbhjr

I did try. I said “I can change my flights to be the day of sailing and then you can drive us to the ship” and the answer was “Oh no, you should come a day early in case something goes wrong with your flights. It’s better for you to get your own ride…”

I’ve arranged travel in more than a dozen countries over decades. I’m sure I get get a ride the 70km from the airport to the ship. But, I do continue to be surprised at how the cruise line resists helping with that. Once you’re on the ship, they’re great and help you with everything. Before and after, they just don’t care.

also, it's fricken crazy that cruises shake you down worse than Universal Studios wrt hotels and travel.

Sorry sorry gotcha

we had a lot of rain while we were in Nanjing. our entire tour group was stuck in the city and couldn't get our flight back to Hong Kong. i was 17; i didn't want to get stuck in China and possibly overstay our VISA the year before the Tiananmen Square massacre (not that we knew it was coming, but we knew what the country was/is like). so our highs school biology teacher, Dr. Kushner, who organized the trip, wrote a bad check to get all of us a ferry from the mainland to Hong Kong.

so i may be biased, but i recommend the lie.

Funny, I’ve also had trouble getting out of Nanjing. Must be that city…

palusbuteo

"The Ethics of Lying" for some reason I read that and thought it sounded like a song title from the 80s not-unlike "The Politics of Dancing"

They’re similar, but the ethics of lying doesn’t have a beat you can dance to….

hehe

brittdreams

Yea, I would lie in this case

fbhjr