Ah, I forgot to mention I usually add a yeast nutrient which helps with a quick fermentation. I can't recall anything taking more than a couple of weeks, and usually it goes quicker. Yes you can carbonate in the bottle same as beer. I would have to search through my old notebooks, but I am pretty sure that the whole process to a ready to drink carbonated cider has not been more than 30 days. You can make high gravity ciders using concentrate which obviously will take longer just as a beer would.
The biggest risk for long fermentation times would be from using a juice that has a preservative in it which would inhibit the yeast.
The great thing about homebrewing is that you are not limited to ordinary cider. Try a Cyser which is a mead/cider hybrid. I also have a recipe for my Legendary H.A.P.P.Y brew (Honey, Apple, Pacific Pineapple, Yeast). Malt/cider hybrids are also becoming popular but I have yet to try one.