I just finished Thunderhead Keep on my 4th character the other day. So now all 4 of my chars can buy any non-elite skill through Dakk at Ember Light Camp!
I agree, the new timer is lame. I also HATE having to log out and relogin just to change characters.
There are only a few missions that take more than an hour, and it depends if you do the bonus (
Riverside Province can be done in 15 minutes, but requires an extra hour if you do the bonus). Some quests (especially
Defend Droknar's Forge,
Defend North Kryta Province and others involving Titans and the
Prophecies PvE endgame) can also take more than an hour. I don't think I've done any that take more than 2 hours, unless you count Fissure of Woe or Underworld runs.