Hi Jake,
My wife and I are actually going in 4 weeks.
We are living in China and I have contemplated with a combined Sipadan and Orang-Utan safari trip since we arrived in China 3 years ago. However, we did always prioritize other places (Indonesia, Palau, Philippines) due to the annoying Permit topic in Sipadan. As our time in Asia will be coming to an end in 2020, and we planned to finally do the trip over the upcoming Chinese New Year.
I was more or less locked-in already with Scuba Junkies when Ksenia from diveandcruise.com recommended the new Celebes Explorer 9 allowing us to dive Sipadan every day while providing the flexibility of a resort as it is "hop-on hop-off".
However, I have to admit that the cabins look a bit more basic than the standard we have enjoyed on most liveaboards in the past (and no double beds). Moreover, there is no afternoon / evening program (I specifically asked as it is "only" 3 dives a day) and you only get a rate including rental equipment.
Nevertheless, it seems to be the only Sipadan option with a guarantee to dive the hotspot every day and the hotels with permits also don't look super nice or are packed with Chinese. You can expect my detailed review with a video in late Feb.
Cheers