Oh Buoy, It's A Family Trip!

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Trip start
June 13, 2026
Oh Buoy, It's A Family Trip!
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SLN Airport got a Glow-up
June 13 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
Salina Regional Airport (SLN) recently underwent a massive $8.8 million terminal expansion and remodel.

Major enhancements include a new loading gate, upgraded TSA screening, baggage claim areas, and a modern passenger hold room.

Additionally, SkyWest Airlines established a new regional jet maintenance facility at SLN.

SLN has free (uncovered) parking.

$159.85 each to IAH airport. Nonstop on United Airlines. Flight time 1 hour 35 minutes. The CRJ200, holds 50. Only 13 people flying today.Read more
Traveler Have fun!
6/13/26Reply
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Oh Buoy, It's A Family Trip!
Plot Twist: An Amazing Rental Car Experience
June 13 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C
Car rental counters are usually awful, but Enterprise at IAH airport really excelled today. Probably the best rental car experience, and we’ve rented a lot of cars over the past 25+ years.

We decided to get a one-way rental car as we wanted it to meet up with friends at the Houston ChooseFI meetup, run a few errands and transport ourselves to Galveston on Sunday.

Enterprise Rental. Midsized SUV (Chevy Trailblazer). Pick up at IAH, drop off at Galveston Port. $196.14 through Costco Travel. Renting through Costco Travel often eliminates expensive one-way fees imposed by national brands.Read more
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Oh Buoy, It's A Family Trip!
Sugar Land/Missouri City
June 13 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C
After our ChooseFI Houston meetup, we had dinner at Thai Cottage, Sugar Land ($41.00 for two generous spicy 🌶️ entrees). Duck curry and Peanut Rama Pork.

We stayed at the recently renovated and very quiet Holiday Inn Express in Missouri City ($130.55). It has a very nice gym and washer/dryers ($2.75), and the breakfast had healthier options than the usual Holiday Inn Express breakfast.

We learned that many people stay at this Holiday Inn Express instead of staying in Galveston before boarding cruises as Galveston hotels are quite expensive in the summer. It’s about 1 hour 15 minutes from the hotel to the Port of Galveston.

We stayed in Missouri City, which is adjacent to Sugar Land. Sugar Land is generally more affluent, commercialized, and expensive, while Missouri City offers greater housing affordability, larger properties, and a more residential, quiet feel. Because they sit right next to each other in Fort Bend County, they share many of the same high-performing school zones and amenities, making the choice a matter of budget and lifestyle preference.Read more
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Oh Buoy, It's A Family Trip!
Galveston Arrival
June 14 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C
After turning in our rental car to the Enterprise office in Galveston we checked in to the Residence Inn by Marriott (free with VentureX credit card voucher, tIncludes free basic breakfast with hot and cold items, protein options, and better than most midrange hotel coffee.

We met up with family at a hotel pool then the 15 of us went to dinner at Katie’s Seafood House.

Located on Galveston’s historic Pier 19, Katie’s Seafood House is a popular waterfront restaurant offering genuine "boat-to-table" Gulf seafood. Fed daily by the adjacent Katie's Seafood Market, the menu features incredibly fresh favorites like Red Snapper, oysters, and shrimp straight from their own fishing boats.

While hanging out with my family at the neighboring hotel, a woman who looked very familiar came up to Darren and immediately they recognized each other. It was Donna, Darren’s cousin from southern Illinois and her granddaughter Sarah. They were traveling together to a family reunion outside Houston. We had not seen Donna for about 10 years!Read more
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Oh Buoy, It's A Family Trip!
Galveston Carnival Breeze Boarding
June 15 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 29 °C
We hired an Uber driver to drop us off at the port ($16.19) at 10:00 am. It’s a ten minute drive from Residence Inn to Pier 25.

We have a 10:30 boarding time. We were on the ship and had our muster check in done by 11:20 am. We were able to get into our room by 1:30 pm.

Balcony room in Cloud 9 Spa area. $2404.00 includes all taxes and gratuities for a five night cruise from Galveston to Cozumel, Progreso and back to Galveston.Read more
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Oh Buoy, It's A Family Trip!
Sea Days on Carnival Breeze
June 17 in Mexico ⋅ 🌬 30 °C
A typical Carnival sea day starts with a leisurely breakfast buffet. There was an abundance of protein options for breakfast.

Towel animals appeared on our bed at turndown.

Lunch offered burgers by the pool, pizza, or the main dining room. We opted for BBQ and the salad buffet.

Afternoon activities were poolside lounging, reading, or a nap.

Dinner was multi-course in the main dining room.

Evening brought live music, comedy, or shows. Although, as usual, I skipped most of the entertainment.

Quiet corners on deck suited my preference for solitude.

Overall the theme was casual, no-frills, with plenty of food and downtime.Read more
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Oh Buoy, It's A Family Trip!
Uxmal, in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula
June 18 in Mexico ⋅ ☁️ 36 °C
Uxmal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, is a prime example of Puuc-style Maya architecture, flourishing between 600–1000 CE. Its structures are noted for their geometric precision, intricate mosaics, and astronomical alignments.

The Pyramid of the Magician (El Adivino) is the most iconic, standing at 35 meters with an oval base and steep slopes. The Governor’s Palace is the largest and most elaborate, featuring a 100-meter façade adorned with over 20,000 stone mosaics, including serpent and mask motifs. The Nunnery Quadrangle consists of four buildings arranged around a courtyard, showcasing detailed latticework and Chac masks.

The Great Pyramid and House of the Turtles further exemplify the Puuc style, with the latter named for its turtle-shaped stone carvings. Uxmal’s layout reflects advanced urban planning, with sacbeob (raised causeways) connecting major structures. The site’s alignment with celestial events, such as the summer solstice, underscores the Maya’s astronomical expertise.

Abandoned by the 15th century, Uxmal was later rediscovered and partially restored. Its architecture and iconography provide insight into Maya political, religious, and social structures.

Travel to and from the Progreso Port and visiting the site was about 7 hours. The cost was $129.00 per day per person for the excursion. We had an amazing guide with a background in archeology.Read more
TravelerOne of the few pyramids in the Yucatan that you can still climb. Did you try?
4wReply
TravelerSteve and I winter in Chicxulub, just east of Progreso. This is where the meteor struck the Earth millennia ago , that caused the dinosaurs extinction.
4wReply
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Oh Buoy, It's A Family Trip!
Back to Port, Houston and Home
June 20 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
After a sea day we returned to the port around 6:00 AM. Our family departed quickly as they had a long drive back to Kansas.

We had ordered an Uber in advance. The gentleman who picked us up happened to be from Kansas City and was a track runner at Kansas State the same time we were at KSU. We had a fun time talking about Manhattan and what’s changed and stayed the same. An Uber from Port of Galveston to the Museum district in Houston was $56.95.

Arriving into Houston we encountered a lot of traffic due to FIFA.

We had lunch at Huynh with a couple we met at ChooseFI meetup in Houston the week before.

After lunch they gave us a short tour of downtown Houston and then we all went to the Houston Fine Arts Museum which has a vast collection of Impressionist, Renaissance, and modern art (a lot of Picasso).

Departing the museum, we took another Uber to IAH airport ($44.50) and boarded our plane to Salina, Kansas. ($159.85 each, IAH to SLN).

We arrived around 9:00 pm and made it home just a few moments before a big thunderstorm ⛈️.Read more
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Trip end
June 20, 2026