Royal Caribbean International, which has operated Persian Gulf cruises out of Dubai since January 2010, will end the program in mid-April. The 2013 season starts Jan. 28 and will end after the April 8 departure of the 2,100-passenger Serenade of the Seas.

“We were initially very pleased with the program, and while we expected continued growth, the demand has declined in recent seasons,” the company said in a statement. “In addition, the planned transfer of Monarch of the Seas out of the Royal Caribbean fleet next spring has made us face some difficult decisions about continuing existing programs for us. In this case, the trends for Serenade of the Seas did not justify continuing to deploy her in the region.”

The seven-night cruises depart Mondays and visit Fujairah, United Arab Emirates; Muscat, Oman; and Abu Dhabi, UAE. A check of the Royal Caribbean website shows fares as low as $599 per person, double occupancy.