When on an expedition the ship never sleeps. It’s a 7 day week, each person working 12 hours a day, and then the next 12 hour shift taking over. Shifts may be staggered too: 3-3, 6-6, 7-7. It takes some getting used to that when you wake up, unlike at home, things will have changed while you were asleep. When it gets really busy, shifts for the scientists go out the window, and they just work however long it takes to process the seafloor data and cores. This means that meals assume a really important place in ship routine. They have to be more than just a way of getting calories: they have to be something to look forward to. As a result, the quality and range of food at every meal time (midnight, 6 am, noon, 6 pm) is superb and the chefs will also rustle up specific requests on the spot. Sundays are marked by either a barbeque on the bridge, or a side table of outrageous cakes.