@ironic: my post was...ironic :-)
I agree with all you wrote, that's my experience, too.
WWIV requires a longer phase because, in the end, someone has to decide and put orders for 20 units or more. But in the first years, when you have to put in for 10 units or less, you should not need all that time. It's a gunboat. If they read the title, saved their orders and didn't finalize, they're doing something uncorrect, IMHO.
I usually hate people who tell me "Can you finalize, plz? we're waiting for you...". The phase lenght is MY time, so I ignore them.
Things are different here. If you want the whole phase long to think, you should not join a game with a title like that.
Unfortunately, there is always some "blind" player in these games. So yes, no surprise.