passengers got together and arranged their own excursions in advance. As Jenny said, the shuttles were such a shambles that in the end we were refunded for all shuttles at all ports. Soulac is ok for an hour or so, beach, shops/bars etc, but very small and nothing much there if the weather isn't good. Absolutely nothing at all in Le Verdon, a load of containers and a shed surrounded by scrubland. No, it wasn't well thought out. The excursion costs put off a lot of people, also the long bus rides to any of the wine regions. Hence the unforeseen demand for shuttles to Soulac. We did a trip on the first day but those who booked shuttles at $15 pppd weren't happy at waits running into hours. There were so many complaints they refunded the shuttle costs and then went on to refund all shuttle costs at all ports. I haven't written my review yet, as always I enjoyed being on a Celebrity ship and had an outstanding holiday for the price I paid but I couldn't in all honesty recommend this itinerary to anyone wanting to "immerse" themselves in wine. The ports are just too far from the wine regions, excursion costs are high and all the seminars and tastings onboard the ship come at a price. It is a difficult review to write, as a holiday is was excellent, my reason for going was to take in the Hockney exhibition at the Guggenheim and revisit Porto