That sounds like full sun. Yes, direct sun refers only to intensity, full sun also refers to duration.
If there are walls, trees, structures, anything around your patio (and there usually are, unless you have no neighbors or no privacy) then the sun will be blocked for at least some of the day, some of the year. Unless it's a rooftop patio and there are no trees or walls nearby, there will be shade protection.
Even here (south of you) the sun only rises to a bit over 30° in the sky at midday in early winter. A third of the way to vertical. Other times of day it will be lower than that. All sorts of objects close to the horizon will create shade at that time of year, and for weeks on either side. At this time of year it's maxing out about halfway to vertical.
The best way to know what exposure your plants are getting is to physically see the sun and shade at different times of day and different times of year. I can pretty much guarantee you most of your patio does not get direct sun for the entire day, year round. We have extreme exposure here (the aforementioned rooftop patio with no trees and few structures taller than about 3 feet) and I still find plenty of protected places to put my plants where they don't have to be in the sun all day. Those places are lifesavers.
Speaking from experience growing a pretty good variety of succulents, there are very few which require or necessarily prefer full sun. With a handful of exceptions, most potted succulents do better in part sun or part shade. I know this because I'm constantly tinkering with exactly how many hours they enjoy or prefer. And the holiday cacti are not on the list. Not to argue with your experience, this is just mine.
