Last year, Norwegian announced it was going to make New York home for its newest ship, the Breakaway.
Last month, Royal Caribbean announced its new ship, Quantum of the Seas (2014), will be "permanently" sailing from Bayonne, NJ, just across the river from Manhattan, which was the site of the press conference.
Last week, Celebrity announced it would have a two-day sale while setting up shop with The Lawn Club in Grand Central Station, in the heart of Midtown in New York City.
Is New York so hard to miss that it's just been "discovered" by the cruise industry as a major market? When did 8.3 million people in a concentrated geographical area become so easy to regard as just another Baltimore?
There have always been cruise ships regularly sailing in and out of New York, of course. What seems to have changed is the focus. These days, New York is big-time in cruising just like it is in just about every other way.
For Celebrity, taking over 12,000 square feet of Grand Central Station is nothing less than a mini trade show. The Lawn Club is the feature item on the top deck of all 
Solstice Class ships, something of a country club at sea, with a half acre of real grass and a handful of activities. In Grand Central, those activities will include a croquet challenge, local jazz musicians to entertain you and an opportunity for wannabe chefs to create their own spice rubs at The Lawn Club Grill.
For the two days — next Monday and Tuesday — the other carrot for visitors will be a chance to win a cruise to Bermuda, and to save $1,000 on a European cruise or $500 when booking one to Alaska, Bermuda or the Caribbean.
Did we mention that it all happens in a place that's hard to find…New York?
Coral Princess
14 nights
July 31, 2013
Vancouver (return): Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, College Ford, Anchorage, Hubbard, Glacier Bay, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan
Inside: $1,514
Cost per day: $108
www.princess.com