Flying to Beijing - Optional, low cost, group air transportation to and from the cruise will be offered. Details and pricing will be available this fall. Most people will depart home this day and arrive in Beijing the next morning.

Tianjin (Beijing), China - Tianjin is the major port City for Beijing and is about 60 miles east of downtown Beijing. Passengers should plan on arriving in Beijing by 10am. Passengers should plan on being onboard by 2:00 pm.

Ship departs 5:00 pm

At Sea - A series of lectures about the region, the eclipse and astronomy will begin today.

Cheju, South Korea - Cheju is the major port for the South Korean Island of Cheju-Do (sometimes referred to as Jeju-do). Cheju's temperate, subtropical, climate, natural scenery, and beaches make it a popular tourist destination. The Island is located off the southern tip of South Korea and is about 100 miles long and 20 miles wide.

Ship arrives 8:00 am - departs 2:00 pm

Kagoshima, Japan - Kagoshima is Kyushu's southernmost, major city and the capital of Kagoshima Prefecture. The city is often compared with its Italian sister city Naples due to a similarly mild climate, palm tree lined streets, relatively hot tempered inhabitants and Sakurajima, Kagoshima's Vesuvius.

Ship arrives 8:00 am - departs 2:00 pm

At Sea - The ship continues to sail for our rendezvous, at maximum eclipse, with the longest total eclipse of the Century. Our lecture series continues today. At mid day we will conduct a "dress rehearsal" to help you prepare for tomorrow's grand event. We will sail at the same course speed and time of day so you will know where the eclipse will be with relationship to your setup.

Eclipse Day! - We will, likely, be the only group, in the world, to see this eclipse at greatest eclipse! 6 Minutes 38.9 seconds. For fun we're going to use the forward motion of the ship along the center line of the eclipse to push the length of totality to 6 minutes 39 seconds - a "silly" tenth of a second longer. Why? 'cause it's fun and we can!

Contact Times For The Eclipse - local time
First Contact eclipse begins	Second Contact totality begins	Third Contact totality ends	Fourth Contact eclipe ends
12h07m56s	13h31m56s	13h38m35s	14h58m51s

The geographic coordinates for our target viewing location are 24° 12.2' North and 144° 07.0 East. At mid eclipse the sun altitude will be 85.9° the sun azimuth 197.6°. The path width at greatest eclipse will be 258.4 km.

At Sea - The lecture series continues today as we sail to Kobe, Japan. Included is an eclipse de-briefing where each of us will have an opportunity to share his or her experience.

Kobe, Japan - We arrive in Kobe for two full days to explore Japan! An historic port and distinct city in its own right, KOBE, is the capital of Hyogo-ken

An optional overnight excursion by high speed train to Tokyo will be offered as well as various half day and full days tours in and around the Kobe area.

Ship arrives 8:00am

Kobe, Japan - This is our final day in Japan.

Ship departs 6:00pm

At Sea - The lecture series continues.

At Sea - The lecture series concludes and we prepare for our final two days in China.

Tianjin (Beijing), China - We arrive back in Tianjin at 12 noon today and we overnight on the ship. Whether you call it Beijing or Peking, it's the cultural and political center of China. Optional Excursions will be offered this afternoon to give you a quick look at China's capital.

Those wanting more can opt for a reasonably priced two night hotel extension in Beijing. This optional extension package will include a visit to the Great Wall and Forbidden City, home to the Emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Those that want the ultimate China experience can opt for a six night tour extension. This programs starts with two nights in Beijing and include a visit to the Great Wall and Forbidden City. Next fly to Xi'an for two more nights, including a trek to see the Terracotta Army. This extensive program concludes with two nights in exotic Shangahi! Complete details and pricing about the optional tour extensions will be available this fall.

Ship arrives 12:00 noon - overnight onboard

Tianjin (Beijing), China - Today you disembark the ship and begin your trip back home.