We are sailing on the infinity in April, this is our first itinerary like this, looking for suggestions regarding safe/clean beautiful beaches/resorts. I am traveling with my 6 yr old son and my mother, leaving my husband and two young teens at home due to school and work. Best shopping suggestions would also be helpful as well as transportation hints! Ports include Monterey, Catalina island, Mazatlan, Manzanillo, Puerto Vallarta And Cabo San Lucas.

Out of Cabo, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta, I have found Mazatlan to have the most reasonably priced shopping. Most people shop in what they call the Golden Zone.

In Cabo, you will be at anchor and tender to the harbor. On your right as you are coming into the harbor is a very nice beach with lots of hotels and restaurants. You can take either a water taxi or a regular taxi to get to this beach.

In Puerto Vallarta you can take a taxi or bus into the downtown area and stroll along the Malecon (beach boardwalk). In Puerto Vallarta there are white taxis when you exit the ship. If you walk one block out to the main highway, the yellow taxis cost less.

Be careful with that taxi thing. Usually the ones that wait closest to the ship are the ones regulated by the local government. They are safer. You hear a lot of horror stories of people being stranded, robbed, etc by the cheaper taxis. The cruise line usually mentions in their port talks about which taxis to use.

Although the taxi concern may be valid in other areas, we have been to Puerto Vallarta many times and always take the yellow taxis--or ride the buses, which is a whole other experience.

In Puerto Vallarta the white taxis are licensed to enter federal property--the cruise port--and the yellow ones are not. That is why you have to exit the port to get the yellow taxis.

I have been to Mazatlan twice and we always ride in the pulmonias which are the lil golf cart type things and you can get a driver to take you pretty much all over mazatlan really cheap. Last time there was in December and we went on a sight seeing all over mazatlan and also he took us to a great restaurant by locals and shopping aprox 3 1/2 hours and charged us 15.00 It was really great.

forgot to mention there were 4 of us together. Make sure to ask about the cost before hand but pretty much we were always told to just give them what we thought was fair? Hard to do but they are very helpful.