Meet the Captain and Senior Staff on board MSC Grandiosa

MSC Cruises announced that Marco Massa will captain the MSC Grandiosa when the ship is handed over to MSC on October 31st. Like all captains of the MSC fleet, Marco Massa has many years of experience and a successful career within the company.

Captain Massa: In the footsteps of his father

Massa began his career in 1995 at the MSC Symphony as Junior Cadet Officer – a position on which his father also started at MSC. After that, Massa sailed as the third and second navigation officer on the MSC Rhapsody, the MSC Melody and the MSC Monterey. In 2003, he became Environmental Officer on MSC Lirica, the first cruise ship ever built by MSC for his fleet. For Massa followed other stations as Safety Officer at the MSC Opera and the MSC Sinfonia.

In 2006, he was appointed Staff Captain of the ship during MSC Musica’s entry into service, and later became Staff Captain on the MSC Orchestra, MSC Poesia, MSC Fantasia, MSC Splendida, and the MSC Magnifica. The Staff Captain is responsible for the operations on board during the final phase of construction and commissioning of the ship.

In 2012, Massa became captain at the MSC Musica. He was the youngest captain ever to take command of a cruise ship from MSC.

In 2018 he was the captain of the MSC Seaview and took command of the MSC Magnifica in January 2019 during the first World Cruise of MSC Cruises. Before taking up his job as captain at the MSC Grandiosa at the end of October, he will head the MSC Seaside.

The 9th of November 2019 is not only the day of the festive baptism of the MSC Grandiosa, the date also marks Marco Massa’s birthday.

Antonino Cuccaro becomes Staff Captain

In addition, MSC Cruises announced that Antonino Cuccaro will become Staff Captain at the MSC Grandiosa. His career began in 2002 as Junior Deck Cadet aboard the MSC Melody. Afterwards he took on various positions on board as well as on land. In 2011 he was promoted to Safety Officer of MSC Musica and in 2016 to Staff Captain on the MSC Divina. For the past two years he has been working with Captain Massa aboard the MSC Seaside, the MSC Seaview and the MSC Magnifica.

Chief Engineer: Antonio Iaccarino

Antonio Iaccarino becomes the future Chief Engineer at the MSC Grandiosa. He started his career in 1995 as a second engineer at MSC Cargo. After his promotion to Chief Engineer, he joined MSC Cruises in 2000, initially as a Staff Engineer aboard the Lirica class, and a year later he was appointed Chief Engineer. Iaccarino has already worked aboard all MSC Cruises ship classes. His last stop was the MSC Meraviglia, whose final stage of construction he accompanied intensively and on which he was also on board after the commissioning.

Hotel Director: Giuseppe Maresca

Giuseppe Maresca will take over the position of hotel director at the MSC Grandiosa. He comes from the MSC Bellissima, for which he has been working as hotel manager since commissioning. He began his career at MSC in 2000 as a hotel storekeeper aboard the MSC Melody. In 2008, he was appointed deputy hotel director aboard MSC Splendida within a year, and in 2011 promoted to hotel director of MSC Fantasia.

We look forward to meet Captain Massa and his team during our visit on board MSC Grandiosa in a few weeks time.

About MSC Grandiosa

MSC Grandiosa is the third ship of the innovative Meraviglia generation and the first of the Meraviglia-Plus class. She will become the fifth new next-generation ship MSC Cruises has launched in just two and a half years.

Meraviglia generation ships have been designed to meet every need of the modern cruise guest. The extraordinary design, wide array of facilities and entertainment make these ships ideal for the whole family. Designed for all seasons, they can call at most of the world’s international cruise ports.

MSC Grandiosa will become the largest ship in the MSC Cruises fleet with further enriched facilities, more cabins, more public space and new features.

MSC Cruises’ new flagship will be christened on 9th November in the Port of Hamburg. Following the glamorous event, she will sail the winter season in the Mediterranean, calling at iconic destinations including Barcelona, Palermo, Marseille and Valletta in Malta.