I think you just grew up. MMO's are just not as magical as they were before, after you realize how they worked.

I'm sure there are people playing now who feel ARR is a vast world of adventure and exploration.
There may be more they could have had to try to rouse that feeling, but it take A LOT to get that back if you've been playing since EQ and XI.
You can't go back and even if you could, you've got rose colored glasses about how it was back then.