Hey Linus...
Yes, outpatient sounds right and is, from all the stories I've heard, the norm.
Another thing to mention... I don't know how your system handles anesthesia, but it makes me nauseous. Most of the time I spent in recovery was because of the throwing up.

If you are sensitive to it too, mention that to the anesthesiologist so he/she puts something in the drip to combat that. I learned that trick for my hysto and fared MUCH better.
Anyway... I do believe my surgery was right at 4 hours...maybe about 3 now that I think about it, and I spent about 2 hours in recovery.
I was still a groggy mess when I left there, but most of that was because of my stomach.
I'm sure you've researched the transportation piece but thought I'd ask about shuttle vans or buses???