Pacing the second disc slower would have spaced things out more, and given them more time to sink in. Same thing with Xenogears, to some extent.

But in answer to the original post, yes, Cross is a much longer game than Trigger. Trigger was a fairly short game, whereas Cross is more what I would consider a full-length RPG. I can't recall how long it took me to complete my first time through, but it was well over 15 hours.