Thank you Dan_T. I'll look at those LOBs. A 10-day trip is what I was considering. And, given your experience on the Mermaid 1, I'll definitely look at them. I appreciate it.
Travel half around the world from Texas to Bali, I usually take a minimum of 2 weeks (15-16 days if you leave on the weekends, leaving from Houston on Saturday & returning back in Houston on Sunday, 2 weeks later). You will also lose 2 days on the way there, but gain a day on the way home. So, if you leave on Saturday from Houston, you'll arrive in Denpasar on Monday morning (as you will lose Sunday when you pass the international date line). On the way home, you can leave Saturday evening 2 weeks later from Denpasar & arriving in Houston on Sunday afternoon. That gives us full 13 days there.
When I did this trip with Mermaid I in August 2014, I also dove for 3 days in Bali (Menjangan, Tulamben & Nusa Penida). On the last day in Bali, I went with 2-boat dive to Nusa Penida to see manta & Mola-Mola (see my avatar) in the morning before boarding the Mermaid in Benoa.
That's the nice thing about doing the roundtrip Bali-Komodo-Bali. You won't lose a day due to no fly time since you don't need to fly from Denpasar to Labuan Bajo. You would actually be cruising from Bali to Komodo & dive along the way to Komodo. Mermaid metal liveaboard is a fast cruiser, unlike the wooden phinisi liveaboard.
There is a dive site around Sangeang, northeast of Komodo, where you might see lava coming out of Gunung Api & flowing into the see, if you are lucky enough timing wise to be there at the right time. But, you would definitely see the natural gas bubbling out from the sea bottom while you are diving there. You would feel like diving in giant aquarium with all those bubbles in the water. A cool dive site. You won't be able to dive there if you just do the diving in Komodo NP, as it is out side of the marine park.
I hope the next year Houston-Denpasar roundtrip flight would still be as cheap as now. I bought my tickets with Singapore Airlines for $680 roundtrip for November trip this year. We (13 of us) are chartering a liveaboard to do 12-day crossing from Ambon to Sorong, passing Banda Sea & Raja Ampat.
BTW, you would need to buy the tickets & book the liveaboard about a year in advance.
Happy diving!