I had spent at least a couple hours surfing and not having any luck finding a cruise that would arrange to be in the path of totality for the November 14, 2012 total eclipse off the coast of Australia. But then I found Dan Oppliger of Tropical Sails. He specializes in eclipse cruises, gave us lots of advice and then booked us. For airline reservations, I had not been able to find tickets to Sydney (from MN) without having to stop overnight in L.A. or in the middle of the Pacific somewhere but Dan found us air that went all the way to Sydney from Minneapolis with only a short layover at LAX. That (plus a few sleeping pills) made the transportation there comfortable and hassle free. I was not looking forward to the time and expense of a round trip to some expensive hotel near LAX or wherever. Dan also made arrangements for two social events aboard the ship before and after the eclipse. The first was a get-acquainted occasion and the 2nd allowed us all to share stories about the experience and show each other our treasures (photos of the eclipse itself). He even arranged some tours ashore using public and private transportation at a much cheaper rate than the cruise line charged. In short, my wife and I were very satisfied.