There is absolutely nothing wrong with Cozumel or the Bahamas. But once you've seen them during a cruise, it's time to branch out.

Cruise lines are experimenting with all kinds of interesting Caribbean itineraries that expose travelers to a broader swath of the region. Some feature islands that are hard to visit on your own. Some mix exotic with familiar, giving travelers a taste of wildly different cultures.

"The thing is, these islands represent different regions, and many are more European," says Carnival Valor Capt. Luigi De Angelis, who has captained ships throughout the Caribbean. His favorite islands are Aruba and Roatan, Honduras.

By visiting more exotic islands with Dutch, French, English or Spanish roots, "you get a taste of all these different places on the other side of the ocean. That is why it seems to me it is more culturally interesting," he says. "On Curacao, the people speak five languages. It's not often you go to an island where the people speak five languages."

More sophisticated than your basic Western Caribbean or Bahamas itinerary, cruises labeled "Southern Caribbean" or "exotic Caribbean" usually are at least eight days long. Most leave from Miami, Fort Lauderdale or San Juan, Puerto Rico. And most cruise distances of 4,000 miles or more.

Admittedly, the exotic Caribbean isn't super trendy. Right now, cruise folks are flocking to the Mediterranean. The Caribbean cruise sector grew less than 1 percent in 2011 because lines redeployed ships to Europe, especially in the summer, according to Caribbean Tourism Organization data. And Southern Caribbean islands have been especially vulnerable to the downturn.

But that's all the more reason to go now. Exotic Caribbean cruise prices are as low as $600-$900 per person for a week or more. So look for the unusual islands. It's hard (and expensive) to fly to the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe on your own. But you can get there on Brilliance of the Seas in December.

Looking for an unusual Caribbean itinerary, I chose a Carnival Valor cruise out of Miami because it visited four sites I'd never been — Turks and Caicos, the Dominican Republic, Aruba and Curacao.

But it was hard to choose. Some Royal Caribbean ships stop in enticing places such as Bonaire and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Celebrity Cruises stop at ports in St. Croix, St. Kitts, Dominica and Grenada. Silversea and Seabourn cruises call on sophisticated St. Barts.

Aboard Carnival Valor at the end of May, I was surprised to find that our ship was the only one in every port. In eight days, I never saw another cruise ship. It was weird, but nice.

For instance, our cruise stopped in Grand Turk. It delightfully turns out that while the Turks and Caicos is a hip, hot destination, all of that trendy stuff is happening way over in Providenciales, about 65 miles away by sea, and definitely not in Grand Turk, where the most exciting event is watching the tide go out. Which was just fine by me.

I likewise was pleasantly surprised by the Dominican Republic. The DR is the most visited island in the Caribbean, but almost nobody arrives by cruise ship. Carnival Valor docked way down at La Romana, on the southern coast, hours from Punta Cana and other giant tourism hot spots. The dock was near the sugar-cane fields and orchid farms. It was warm and relaxing and real.

Down in Aruba and Curacao, both islands with Dutch heritage, the pastel buildings seemed to shout a happy welcome to our lonesome ship. Offseason, these islands near Venezuela still were hot and friendly. On Curacao, four or five languages are spoken: Papiamentu, Dutch, English, Spanish and sometimes French.

And Aruba was just plain fun, with its giant cactuses spreading across the landscape, new Ritz Carlton rising on the shore, and the scenic Alto Vista Chapel a sturdy outpost on a seaside cliff.