FFXIV isn't necessarily "like WoW." It's like a lot of MMORPGs. It took what it considered were the good parts of previous MMORPGs and tried to combine them.

But when people are referencing WoW, they're more than likely talking about the PvE and combat. Off the top of my head...

PvE:
  • Guaranteed loot
  • Weekly lockout
  • Instanced
  • Specific group sizes

Combat:
  • GCD based
  • Holy Trinity (Tank, DPS, Healer)
  • Lack of actual hybrid class viability
  • Fire that you can (and should) move out of