REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SABANG -- The cruise ship Pacific Eden, with 1,309 tourists on board, called at the CT-3 pier of the Sabang Zone Authority in Kuta Bawah Timu Village on Thursday.
Zulkarnaen, head of the Sabang Zone Authority port service, remarked that the British-flagged cruise ship arrived in Sabang from Phuket, Thailand.
"The Pacific Eden ship, with 1,309 tourists and 620 crew members, arrived at 7 a.m. local time," he revealed.
Zulkarnaen said the ship had set sail from Sabang for Singapore at 4 p.m. local time.
"It called at port for eight hours, and several tourists disembarked to visit the various attractions on Weh Island," he noted.
The tourism service in Sabang, in cooperation with several parties, had set up kiosks offering souvenirs unique to Sabang and Aceh.
Bank officers were also seen queuing up at the port to offer money exchange services.
"We offer money exchange services for eight foreign currencies, including the US dollar, the Australian dollar, the Singaporean dollar, Euro, Riyal, Yen, and Ringgit," he remarked.
Most tourists from the ship exchanged Australian dollars for Indonesian rupiah, Darma, a Mandiri Bank officer, stated.
