There was very little gameplay involved. The point was to see a spectacle of the world and ARR did this the best.
The point was supposed to be to see a spectacle of the world. The reality was often having to stay there for multiple hours waiting for the exact time/weather requirement the game wanted. It wasn't just "very little" gameplay; if anything it was negative gameplay because it kept you from wanting to move from the spot or enter the DF to do anything else.

Total garbage system, won't be missed. Keep that shit to fishing where it belongs.