I was putting away travel info today from our Ireland trip and glanced at our past cruise file. The correspondence received from Ngaire, when I had numerous silly questions, beginning on our first cruise September 2003, January 2004, June 2004 and plans for WC (segments of!!!) 2005 was overwhelming. By that I mean, she answered each and every question, suggested alternatives, and responded the same day - second day was rare and a week would have been fine with me! She is a great example of a "professional" woman - (by the way, I am not related to her just use her services) - Joanna

Joanna, I agree. I first "met" Ngaire when I was researching Hanseatic to Antarctica. She provided her wonderful cruise report and answered all questions on CC. She continues to be a wonderful source of information and wonderful cruisemate, though, I must admit, I don't use her professionally that often.

Nice thread to start in her absence for her to read upon her return.

Marc: I think another of Ngaire's strengths is she is helpful to all, regardless of using her as your TA. I found her on the internet and still take aggravation (from friends who think they know it all) about using someone I had never met - does it bother me??? Not one bit I feel it was a win win for me - J

I couldn't agree more! Ngaire has always gone above and beyond the call of duty with our cruises...the absolute BEST in my opinion. I'm so pleased to not only consider her my TA, but both her and Ken as friends as well! Her entire staff is efficient, professional and so friendly.

Just imagine if Ngaire hadn't set up this board for all of us to use....(don't ask Tom, he'd want me in the kitchen or something stupid!)

I just booked my first cruise with Ngaire...I've wanted to use her agency since she started this website - because she is a very good agent AND generous in her support of this community. That's a very amazing combination. She is always helpful and quick to respond, even when you're not her client, but I can't think of one reason not to use her - if you find a lower price, you may not get the same quality of service, and believe me, when you need help, you may not find it so available.

Joanna, you are so right in singing her praises!

Oh Marcie i am getting the noise from Tony - he just got home wants dinner and I am "ON THAT BOARD" - maybe he and Tom could trade italian recipes....I think "singing her praises" came from all the singing I did in pubs - Joanna

During that nano-second I had our cruise booked NK was a marvel. Every lame question I could muster (oh bad choice of words...lol...) was answered with grace and knowledge.

Providing this space for us to "hang" is really a wonderful and generous gesture.

I know I speak forus all when I say..."NK and the wonderful B&K staffers, youre the tops!"

R

I actually had a chance to speak to Ngaire in person with some questions. My husband has a relationship with someone being on a board of a non-profit. The TA we've used is on the board with him and it's uncomfortable for several reasons to change agents. And he has been excellent for us.

Sometimes we can use Ngaire - We are booked on PIP thru B & K. Ngaire was so kind about our relationship and is very special. But there are times we will have to use John. I share an office with my CPA husband. Not all my clients use him or use him for some things. Just the way of the real world. Thank you Ngaire for being you. We are lucky to have you.

Ngaire is such an asset in answering questions for those of us on this board and for those on Cruise Critic as well. She has obviously rubbed off on her staff too, because SUSAN WALSH is the most professional travel agent that I have ever worked with! Thanks again Susan for all your help with my recent cruise trials and tribulations.

Sue

We can't agree more, in singing the praises of dear Ngaire and Ken, as well as the Brown and Keene staff! Ngaire is the epitome of professionalism, travel wisdom and guidance and service. She and Ken are two very dear people we consider friends.

It has been both a privilage and our good fortune to be counted amongst the many who are Ngaire and staff's clients.

How lucky for so many of us to have found such a T.A. and friend! Thank you, Ngaire, Ken and the entire Brown and Keene staff, for all that you do to keep us, your clients and friends, very happy cruisers! Alan and I can't sing your praises enough!

HEAR.. .HEAR!!!!! Well said, all, and well deserved props to Ngaire and her wonderful staff!

DITTO! And, a few of us are fortunate enough to live in Dallas and actually meet with Ngaire, such as when she and Ken had lunch with Paula & me and Priscilla & John prior to our Norwegian cruise. That is a friend, not just a service provider.

Luke

Agree!

After "lurking" on CC for over 3 yrs and then here, I took a blind leap of faith and booked our first RSSC cruise with Ngaire. The day I called, we had several calls back and forth, based on cabin availability and we booked that day. Subsequent communication was always timely and very professional. I hope to meet the lovely lady someday! :D

Speaking of our beloved leader, has anyone heard from her or the rest of the gang??

I talked to her Saturday afternoon while she was balancing about 5 things at once - plus trying to get packed. No word since then & I had to talk to her office today & they didn't mention that she had called in. My guess - shopping in the bazaar - or has the shipped already sailed?
And everyone is correct. She is absolutely the best!

May I also sing the praises of Susan Walsh who has answered all my emails immediately no matter how trivial. And that's on the weekends too. Phone calls have never had to be returned. Pretty amazing and such patience! Thanks Susan for everything...and I still have three more weeks to bug you.
(aka) Maggie

Speaking of our beloved leader, has anyone heard from her or the rest of the gang??

Oh dear...we all adore Ngaire, Ken and the ENTIRE staff....I hope Ngaire doesn't think the staff put us up to all this praise for a raise (rhymes)...We PROMISE NOT...!!! It seems there is so much mediocrity in service these days, it's so nice to work with such pros!
:banana:

I am sorry to report none of us has heard from Ngaire today but she may have been scrambling to make it to the Diamond as we had difficulties with computer glitches at the Dallas airport yesterday. I am sure she made it or we would have heard from her. The Diamond sailed today from Istanbul so hopefully she will post soon. I know she would appreciate your kudos as we all appreciate assisting you in enjoying your vacation whether directly or indirectly. Life is too precious not to make the most of it. It is our pleasure to work with such wonderful people as you that we have come to know and enjoy. You certainly are a terrific group and your concern for one another is heartwarming. I have worked with Ngaire for 24 years so it goes without saying what an incredible lady I feel she is. Hope to meet many of you on a sailing.

Marcie

I told Jennifer today to email me the information I needed because that 37 cent stamp would help go for her raise next year.
Ngaire will think it is a conspiracy now.

So Susan, why don't you join us on MINT??

I envy all of you who actually have met the QUEEN in person -- for me it's all email and phone. I found Ngaire when doing web searches for info on the upcoming World Cruise. She pretty quickly was head and shoulders above any other agent we heard from.

I feel like an echo, but it's true. Always virtually instantaneous response, even when it's NOT crucial! Stellar service from the rest of her crew when she's gone. Spectacular attention to every little detail.

No, I've not yet met Ngaire and Ken, but I look forward to it on the World Cruise. I don't in any way regret booking with her for the first time on what is by far the biggest trip we've ever done. I'm completely comfortable and confident that she'll continue to watch out for our best interests and do whatever she can to be sure the experience is everything we hope.

I'm expecting a long and happy relationship ....

Betty

I envy all of you who actually have met the QUEEN in person -- for me it's all email and phone. I found Ngaire when doing web searches for info on the upcoming World Cruise. She pretty quickly was head and shoulders above any other agent we heard from.

I feel like an echo, but it's true. Always virtually instantaneous response, even when it's NOT crucial! Stellar service from the rest of her crew when she's gone. Spectacular attention to every little detail.

No, I've not yet met Ngaire and Ken, but I look forward to it on the World Cruise. I don't in any way regret booking with her for the first time on what is by far the biggest trip we've ever done. I'm completely comfortable and confident that she'll continue to watch out for our best interests and do whatever she can to be sure the experience is everything we hope.

I'm expecting a long and happy relationship ....

Betty

I can't add anything to this thread because it's all been said! Kudos to the B&K staff and the queen, Ngaire. :) Looking forward to meeting her on MINT! (Susan, you sure you can't join us?)

Masaki

Here's word from another happy customer who has never met Ngaire in person but sings her praises whenever I speak of our upcoming trip (which is often)! Like Masaki said, it's already be said by all the the previous posts - Ngaire and the entire B&K staff are the best!

My parents met them and visited for a few minutes yesterday after they boarded...my mom said they were very tired and didn't see them the rest of the evening. It must have been a very long and tiring trip to Turkey. I hope that there were no misshaps!

AND, YES, Ngaire, her husband and her staff are wonderful. I used to really sing her praises to those who did not have the good fortune of having contact with her...but I always felt that people thought there just couldn't be someone that wonderful out there. I constantly told people that I didn't get "kick-backs", that I really just believed she was that wonderful. Finally, the word is around and I don't feel I have to explain myself to people...

Thanks Ngaire, Ken and staff for making cruising even more fun than it used to be!!!

Sheri

Susan,

Working with someone for 24 years is quite a testimonial to Ngaire.

You are all appreciated so very, very much! Thank you!

We agree! Ngaire and her staff are (pardon the pun) keenly focused on maximizing their clients enjoyment of their precious vacation time. We've had mixed experiences with TAs so by and large I'm a do-it-myselfer when it comes to travel. We found Ngaire from the CC board as well and were pleasantly surprised by her competence and skill. Hands down, she's the best TA I've found to work with.

What's special?

- She's willing to push back on our ideas when a different alternative is available that would be better for us. That advice, by and large, has been spot on.

- She and her staff spend time on the ships, get to know the crews, and obviously love cruising. When we board, the senior officers and crew all know Ngaire and her staff, which is certainly helpful if any special requests come up.

- She has always looked out for the clients, especially if fares or promotions come out after-the-fact that would benefit the client base.

- She encourages her clients to let her know what they learn and anything new that comes up. In addition, she encourages us to get to know each other. This board is a good example - look how much we all learn from one another (and that she & her staff can also learn). We can then have better trips with such a wealth of information and experiences to include in our decisionmaking.

- She hosts great escorted sailings. When you meet Ken, Linda, Ron and some of her other staff, it just makes for a much better time

- She's introduced to all of us the importance of sheep population control in New Zealand. Yep, that's right. EAT MORE LAMB!! :D

Cheers, Anne

Thank you for the invite to the MINT. It is very tempting, but while I would love to meet everyone on the MINT I will be holding down the fort while Ngaire is travelling and then I am escorting a group on the Paul Gauguin November 13.

I wanted to put my own 2 cents into the conversation:

Bob and I met Ngaire and Ken ( and Linda and Ron) during the Voyager Baltic cruise which she escorted last year. Her attention to detail in organizing excursions for our group made our experience in Russia very enjoyable. In addition, it was a lot of fun to socialize with them. They are very down to earth.
I thought it said a lot about Ngaire that when she found out I was having sleepless nights because the vibration problems in my cabin, she offered us the spare stateroon in her suite!Talk about going beyod the call of duty! We didn't take her up on the offer ( eventhough they extended the invitation more than once), but I was very impressed with her thoughtfulness.

Fellow LCT'ers -

We, too, have found Ngaire and B&K to be extraordinary. We used a large all-cruise Seattle agency for our first RSSC cruise and were quite disappointed that no one there seemed to have any direct knowledge of anything about the RSSC ships. Then, (thanks to my secretary) we discovered the boards (Cruise Critic, etc.) and started learning more about the Baltic trip upon which we were soon to be embarking. Ngaire's posts and responses were terrifically useful and so superior to anything our TA knew that we decided to book any later cruises, such as the Norwegian fjords trip from which we just returned, through B&K. On board Voyager, when we booked the cruise and told Gudrun that we wanted to use Ngaire, she told us that we had made a truly excellent choice of TA.

We have had the great pleasure of spending some time with Ngaire and Ken on our last cruise. They are, quite simply, marvelous people and about the best traveling companions one could want. They are flexible, adventuresome, and have apparently unlimited senses of humor. (Speaking of "unlimited", Ngaire has the capacity to put down more lamb chops than any person this side of a Barnum and Bailey side show and still be her annoyingly slim self. She ate all of us under the table one night, yet she still managed to have room for the creme brule!!) It simply ain't fittin"!!, as someone, I forget who, would say in "Gone With the Wind".

So, Ngaire and Ken, have fun in the Black Sea. We look forward enormously to seeing you again on PIP in May.

Cheers, Fred & Pat

How can I add anything here, except to join the chorus? Ngaire and Ken are beyond professional, they are warm and sincere and helpful in every way imaginable. As Luke mentioned above, they took time out of their busy schedules to have lunch with us before our Norway cruise, with Ken bringing his laptop to show us photos from their Norway trip a couple of weeks earlier. How can you top that? Plus, I agree with the kudos to all the B&K staff. They are the greatest. We love you guys!

We were fortunate in 2003 some friends highly recommended RSSC to us. We looked at the RSSC website and searched for TA and B & K Travel came up. We were going to be in Dallas the following week so we sent B & K and email on Saturday evening to find out if it would be possible to meet with them the following week. This was Saturday evening and guess what, Ngaire answered our email within 30 minutes. Can you believe this? Met with Ngaire the following week where she tutored us on the aspects of cruising, this being our first. Left her office with three videos and 12 pounds of paper information regarding various cruises. Never once was there any pressure to book cruise rather only helpful and supportive information. Later that week we did book our first cruise.
Do you think Ngaire every sleeps or is away from her computer?? It matters not when you email her, you can be guaranteed a response in 30 minutes each and every day of the week.
Ngaire has us hooked and we have booked a number of cruises with her since then and can guarantee we will never go to anyone else. The entire B & K office staff is excellent.
Gail and Rich

I can't wait for the day that I get to plan a cruise through Ngaire! I bragged about this board and Ngaire so much that my sister-in-law is using Ngaire for her next cruise.

Oh my! I read this this morning what a wonderful way to start the day. Thank you all so much for all those kind things that you said. I love this business and truly have a passion for it so I guess that is why I work all the time when I am home and at all hours I really enjoy what I do.

It is so interesting as I feel so grateful to have such wonderful clients that have truly turned into friends. Sailing with and meeting people changes things so much. Ken and I used to like to travel alone and we have changed so much over the last few years. We now love travelling with a group of people and find it one of the most wonderful parts of the cruise experience itself.

I also appreciate the kudos for my staff. Susan Walsh and Linda have been with me for years and those of you who have worked with them know how really wonderful they are. Susan Wempe, Jennifer and now the rehiring of a past employee Julie are also an incredible team. I am so blessed to have such bright and conscientous people on staff. They are all happy people who truly do everything they possibly can in the way of customer service.

I did the old trick of adding up the number of years these five have been with me and it is around 56 years an average of over 10 years each.

Julie is going to come on MINT so many of you will get to meet her on that trip.

Anyway thank you and I will be sure the staff read the thread.

Welcome home Ngaire. After 5 cruises I join the others in truly endorsing all their remarks - in spades !! Thanks for the advice in declining the upgrade, and many thanks for the guest pass for St.Malo. Julie did a great fill in job. And the docs. arrive today!!
I'm trying to contact Capt. Knut using Voyager@voyadmin.com. Tried 3 times with no reply.
RSSC office say "They must be busy" Guess I will pop in and have a chat with Mr. C !!

Some good things happen to clients but yet it is best to leave them unsaid.

Cheers to Ngaire! Ray

Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all.
(Sam Ewing )

As I was driving in my new MB I thought about my post and came to the realization that it could be misconstrued. I am only talking about things that have gone on positively between Ngaire and me but are best left there.

Cheers! Ray

Neville: Why not just try to contact him through the general mail for the ship? I don't think it is appropriate to e-mail officers directly, given my information from this past cruise. They are very busy, and often what you want to know can be answered by someone who has more time to do so. I am told you will get a better reply this way.

Thanks,jhp, but Ngaire gave me the best advice. RSSC stay away from personal contacts with staff, and so I will talk to the Capt. when we board Voyager in 3 weeks.