Remember it was about a hour to get to Dennis's place and a hour to get back plus you waited a while for him to show up before you went to his place. Then in the tunnels you did not just walk a normal pace as you explored the tunnel to make sure no traps got you.
Yes, I noticed a huge spark of activity once we got the new blood into the game. Thankfully, there was nothing major going on and I was planning on going to bed once we got back to the castle. Still, it looks like I have a fair bit of catching up to do… especially since I was busy on Halloween.