I believe all of Europe only uses the e-visa platform, so that is not surprising. Also, 30 days is the standard language they always say, at least for the US based consulates. That is why many seem to physically travel to other countries in Southeast Asia.
pretty sure it is not a good idea to schedule a group appointment with people you never met. Seems very straight forward, but by all means, do it, if you think you need to
most embassies have been good about asking for more information before actually rejecting you. So id worried that something might be forgotten/not clear, most likely they will reach out to you first