Some feedback

[Extunarian]

...but I can tell from the exp gains in the newbie yards here I doubt I'll never have time to invest to get to the max level

Newb yard experience sucks. Make sure you're always killing yellows. Or try a quest that rewards a good amount of XP (gnoll teeth in Halas is a great one).

I play an hour or two per day tops, and I could have been 50 in July if I didn't spend so much time tradeskilling, hunting random named that I didn't see on live, and generally just exploring this awesome server. I think you'll find the XP is just fine once you get used to it, and should certainly not prohibit you from reaching 50.
(p.s. - there doesn't seem to be a lot to do at 50)