FOR decades, winter cruises have concentrated mainly on the West Indies. Sun seekers in search of a warm escape had some pretty basic choices . . . either the western or eastern Caribbean, with an occasional foray into adjacent South American ports like Venezuela and Columbia, perhaps up the Amazon or deeper down South America's coast. But choices were limited.

With a varied and interesting collection of islands, passengers could sail there for years, choosing different itineraries. But many travellers have been doing just that over and over again and are anxiously looking for something new and different.

On my first such West Indies cruise with my parents on the Holland America Line in 1956, departures were from a snow-bound New York. It took days to reach the Caribbean, often enduring rough storms off Cape Hatteras when waves actually crashed against portholes of our Nieuw Amsterdam upper deck staterooms.

Deck chairs, then always of teak and actually rented for a fee lasting the duration of the trip, had to be battened down. Brave fresh-air seekers venturing out into those first days' chill were wrapped in thick blankets by deck stewards, much like a winter transatlantic crossing. No wonder steaming bouillon was served on deck and so many activities scheduled in order to keep travellers minds off the horrific weather.

It was even worse on the return. You'd been basking under a tropic sun in ports like Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago and St. Thomas . . . then after the ship passed Florida's coast heading north, Cape Hatteras had yet another chance to vent its temperament. Worst of all was that early morning January or February arrival in New York, usually under overcast skies with a dusting of snow on the deck. Thoroughly depressing.

I VIVIDLY remember my father's pleasure when departures shifted to Florida, with the possibility of our lingering there before and after our cruises. Nowadays, we're personally more often apt to sail from San Juan, Aruba, and so on . . . for a different experience. So as someone who's been to most islands many times, it's easy to understand repeat passengers desire to see something new.

Another factor in today's more exciting and varied itineraries is that port facilities can handle just so much tonnage at a time. It's common for more than half a dozen giant liners carrying 2,000-plus passengers each to be in port at one time challenging available taxis, shops and attractions.

More than 20 years ago, a Virgin Islands Governor initiated a "Smile" campaign because employees in Charlotte Amalie shops were being overwhelmed by masses of cruise passengers. Pressures of this daily invasion were taking a toll on the island's reputation as a friendly, welcoming place. Both passengers and residents were unhappy.

The Governor was trying to encourage residents to remember those visitors were their livelihood and to treat them accordingly. Posters proclaiming the importance of a smiling welcome were seen everywhere, including the post office. However, in retrospect, what seemed like major crowding then was only a minor scouting party compared to today's major invasion.

Smaller ships increasingly seek out less visited islands, those too difficult to access for the supersized giants. And increasingly, a whole new world is now available, beckoning winter cruisers. Yes, adventure-minded travellers could get there in the past, but often at a prohibitive price. Now more comfortable pricing makes it easily accessible.

Much in the cruise news this winter are Hawaii, Tahiti, Mexico's West Coast and a growing number of adventures along South America's western shore. People who've docked in Bridgetown, Charlotte Amalie and San Juan a dozen times are understandably excited by the prospect of going ashore in Papeete, Lihue and Iquitos.

This list is long as your arm . . . but here are a few samples to whet your appetite. To paraphrase French President Charles de Gaulle, who once lamented how could one govern a country with thousands of wines and hundreds of cheeses, how can one do an adequate job of covering the list of available cruises with ships rushing off assembly lines by the dozen?

In fact, 14 new supersized vessels plus several re-launched ships took to the waters this year joining 13 new ones from last year. These are giants, not including smaller gems also making news.

So this is truly just a sampling. Some are old favourites emerging with new identities. For example, Fred Olsen Cruise Line's 727-passenger Braemar is the former Crown Dynasty that called in Bermuda, and its 761-passenger Black Watch was Royal Viking Star. I thoroughly enjoyed each in its original identity.

We've written about Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands before, but they're becoming increasingly popular and offered by a variety of ships. Variations on these itineraries often include Chilean fjords, Rio de Janeiro, even Elephant Island where men of Ernest Shackleton's ill-fated Endurance were stranded in 1916.

The new 106-guest Orion (scheduled for launching this month) also visits Shackleton's grave in the cemetery at Grytviken. This luxury vessel is operated by Travel Dynamics International: (212) 517-7555.

Holland America's Amsterdam has a 20-day cruise-tour entitled South American Coastal Odyssey. Embarking from Buenos Aires, it circles the southern half of South America going around Cape Horn disembarking in Santiago, Chile. There are three-day stays in Crown Plaza Hotels in both cities.

Fares begin at $2,868 for outside staterooms. Airfare from major US cities is also included along with port and handling fees, but government fees of $206 per person are extra.

BECAUSE of weather conditions, most such cruises are December to February. But the Amsterdam has two interesting itineraries; March 2 and 15. If rough waters are a problem for you, give it careful consideration. Well-travelled Bermuda ship expert Larry Jacobs told me waters were very rough on his trip there and a CBS newsman friend also lamented they were unable to go ashore in the Falklands because of turbulence.

For those with time to spare, there's a 33-day cruise-tour starting on March 16. Twenty-nine nights of it are at sea from Buenos Aires all the way up to San Diego including Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rico and a number of relaxing days at sea.

Other random possibilities for unusual ports include P and O's brand new Adonia sailing from London on a 100-day adventure from January 4, calling at such diverse sites as Mallorca, transiting the Suez Canal, and on to Oman, India and Singapore for starters.

Segments are available and include Australia, Seychelles, Madagascar and Cape Town, South Africa. Launched in May, this 77,000-ton liner carries 2,016 passengers and is offering promotional rates as low as $1,500 for some segments. Interestingly, its brochures label it "a child-free vessel" (18 and over only).

OF course, also making major new ship headlines is the 2,620-passenger Queen Mary 2 which will not only be going transatlantic in 2004, but on cruises as well. Pre-publicity calls it the world's longest, tallest passenger ship (tragically, 15 people died on Saturday when a metal gangway leading to the liner collapsed at St. Nazaire in France). Caribbean voyages will sail from New York and Fort Lauderdale, as well as two Rio de Janeiro sailings at carnival time. See www.cunard.com

Also very much in this winter's cruise news are an increased number of itineraries to Hawaii. NCL goes there weekly, featuring a cruise-and-stay programme worth considering. With so many island attractions there, you won't want to just turn around and return.

As I write this, a news item has just appeared on television showing an environmental group of protestors marching in Chicago protesting against NCL. With posters reading "Potty Polluters", they were being interviewed on a major network protesting dumping of dirty water at sea, including that from sinks, showers and kitchens. With so much major newsbreaking, I haven't seen a follow-up.

For many, Tahiti is an ultimate dream trip. Windstar has a ship (twin to its Wind Spirit we've written about in the Mediterranean) which is dedicated to this region year round, as does Radisson with 320- passenger Paul Gauguin. Others cruise here, but these two lines were among early arrivals who first realised the South Pacific's appeal.

Windstar is a 5,000-ton, four-masted sailing yacht catering to 148 passengers in the same level of comfort described last week on its big sister, Wind Surf. They offer 46 seven-day cruises and two 14-day Marquesas voyages. All explore such fabled destinations as Raiatea, Huahine, Bora Bora and Moorea round trip from Papeete.

Both Windstar and Radisson Seven Seas have special low air add-ons. Check their web sites at www.windstarcruises.com and www.rssc.com.

This is not to say the Caribbean isn't as busy as ever. Princess, for example, will launch its most expensive season there this winter. Six of its newest and biggest headliners will account for an eye-opening 75 per cent increase in its capacity there. Besides having the "youngest" fleet in the area, it includes new itineraries such as Belize and will also have a new home port at Galveston, Texas.

With so much focus on the islands, Princess has also launched a comprehensive online destination section called "Destination Caribbean". Well-illustrated, it features island information, shore excursion options and son forth. It's part of that line's award-winning web site, www.princess.com.

Costa will also be in the Caribbean with its brand-new 86,000-ton Costa Mediterranea. Your travel agent will be able to tell you about dozens of other Caribbean possibilities. With the ever-growing number of new ships, expect some competitive pricing.

For those who prefer a smaller, close-up and personal cruising experience, Wind Surf (which I wrote about last week) and the smaller Wind Spirit (which we cruised on two years ago) will be sailing from St. Thomas all winter and taking its sailing-yacht magic to places not accessible to the giant liners.

Also in the news are cruises to the Galapagos Islands, 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador where the number of visitors is carefully controlled for environmental preservation. Natural Habitat Adventures is among companies offering special packages there.

THIS natural travel company specialises in small motor and sailing yachts carrying 12 passengers to a larger 32-passenger ship with infirmary and MD on board: www.nathab.com. Each trip includes time in Quito, a destination this traveller has enjoyed on several occasions. Its colonial architecture, Avenue of the Volcanoes and superb shopping for handicrafts are quite irresistible.

Back in 1980 when such records were first compiled by the cruise industry, only 1.4 million passengers sailed off on such vacations. Last year the total was 7.4 million, with statistics not yet in for 2003. But with the ever-increasing number of ships, the total is expected to continually increase.

Next week: Belle Ile is a surprising discovery off the French coast.