TAMPA, Fla. — Port Tampa Bay is losing some cruises in the coming months as a result of the surge in COVID-19 cases.

Norwegian Cruise Lines has canceled cruises on its “Norwegian Dawn” out of Tampa through Jan. 18.

Royal Caribbean has also announced a pause for cruises on its “Serenade of the Seas” through March 8.

Some Norwegian and Royal Caribbean cruises out of Miami and Port Canaveral have also been paused.

The “Norwegian Joy” out of Miami and the “Norwegian Escape” out of Port Canaveral will not sail again until after Jan. 22.

Royal Caribbean has also announced the cancellation of some of its cruises from South Florida Ports as well.

In a statement on its website, Norwegian Cruise Lines blamed travel restrictions, saying, “The health and safety of our guests, crew and communities we visit is our number one priority."

The cancellations come as Centers of Disease Control and Prevention sailing guidance, which mandated testing for all cruise ship passengers, is set to expire.

The CDC said it expects most cruise lines to drop required testing, making it voluntary or optional after Jan. 15.

Passengers with previously booked travel can re-book travel for later dates and are eligible for full refunds, both cruise lines said.

DISAPPOINTED PASSENGERS

Melanie Stephens returned Thursday morning on the Norwegian Dawn. She found the experiencing disappointing with a number of ports and excursions canceled while they were out at sea. 

"We didn't get to see anything that we came to see, which was kind of sad for us because this is one we picked specifically for those ports... a bucket list kind of thing," Stephens said. 

Liz Lowe was scheduled to disembark on one of those canceled cruises. She's requested a refund and has already invested $2,000 into the trip. Lowe and her husband decided to book with a different company instead. 

"This is not new. I'm just disappointed that they don't know how to handle this a little bit better," she said. "They just dropped the ball and decided to cancel altogether."​