In Classic you have to WORK for things. You EARN them. I don't expect this feeling to go away for a long time.
Yes, but once again, the reason for that is because you are starting fresh. No mains, no savings, no alts to collect BOE or other items, no people that can run you through dungeons yet, etc. The reason you have that in retail is due to it being established over a decade. It's basic inflation.
Fun little fact, but the reason retail has been struggling isn't just because it loses players, but also because it has issues getting new players. Why? It's not because it's "too easy", but because to someone who walks in with nothing, the game is incredibly daunting. The AH is so inflated that just buying basic crafts are impossible for someone just starting out, thus you have to collect as much as you can yourself. The level curve has been lowered, but still takes ages. Bag space is a huge issue unless you find someone willing to make you bags.
Yes, things like dungeons are faster, but that is only because you are likely to get grouped with a whole team decked out in Heirlooms who only see you as a liability, thus cementing the "Why am I playing this I can't even do anything" feeling that retail imposes on new players. This is why they added the "hey have a free main!" boost each expansion. Has not worked though since it just thrusts a newbie into a world they don't understand instead.
As for leveling, it does feel more meaty since you ding less, but the curve itself is always adjusted so that whether you are leveling to 60 or 120, it's supposed to take the same amount of time. Since you have half the levels each level does have that more meaty feel but the time it takes to reach cap in either game is about the same. It's why people have already been hitting 60 and we even have a guild that already killed Ragnaros and Onyxia in the first week, something many people thought was going to be impossible, because they forget how much more knowledge people have about working around classics old mechanics.
We can agree to disagree, but as someone that has played WoW since the original alpha test and have a wolf rider on my desk for never missing a sub-payment, people kind of forget how these things sort of go. I am glad you are having fun with what it is right now, hopefully it can stay that way.