WLP 820 Lager Yeast Starter?

I'm brewing an Oktoberfest from Palmer's book as my first lager. I'll be brewing on Saturday.

I will be using WLP820 Oktoberfest/Marzen.

I've researched lager yeast starters and the best info I can find says I should make a starter at room temp using my stir plate, cool it, and decant everything off the top of the yeast cake. Then let this yeast cake rise back up to room temp before adding my 60 to 65F wort on top of it and then dropping the temp down to 48 - 50F.

If you guys can help me out, I have 2 questions:

1. Will the starter take the same amount of time to multiply and get all healthy as my ale yeasts have(2 or 3 days)?

2. How much yeast in how big of a starter? Palmer calls for 4 yeast vials or a proper starter. From that I assume I should make a 4000ml starter. I've read other people say that they pitched 2 vials of lager yeast in a 2000ml starter for their lager. Any opinions on this matter?

Here is the recipe for reference...

Oktoberfest

Extracts:
4.4 lb Pilsner LME
4.4 lb Munich LME

Grains:
1 lb CaraMunich (60L)

Hops:
60 minutes Hallertau 1.5 oz
20 minutes Hallertau ½ oz

Special
½ teaspoon of Irish Moss at 10 minutes

Yeast:
White Labs California Ale Yeast WLP820 Oktoberfest/Marzen

OG 1.055

Personally, I never make a starter bigger than 1/2 gallon (I might go bigger for a really big beer). I pitch the whole starter at high kraeuzen though. I don't even have a stir plate.