Vacuum Full is *hideously* slow!

Hi.

Per this thread:
http://archives.postgresql.org/pgsql-general/2008-11/msg00608.php -- I
think I understood that the time had come for my db to have a VACUUM
FULL. (Regular autovacuum etc is working)

I know a full vacuum is slow. A simple google search had suggested so.

But I had no idea it would take HOURS! I started the process against a
5GB database (about 8.5 million rows in all) and it went on for more
than an hour. I had to kill the process.

I am now reindexing just to be sure.

Is this normal? If a vacuum full takes hours or even days then what's
the point?

I read here - http://archives.postgresql.org/pgsql-performance/2005-07/msg00375.php
- that it's better to drop the indices, then vacuum, and then recreate
the indices. Is this true? This is also a bad decision for production
servers, but would this be better?

Thanks!