Definitely agree with this.
WoD leveling was definitely better than SL. I had a good time exploring the zones. IMO, WoD had some of the best zones we've ever gotten. If not the best, then they're certainly the last good zones and leveling experience that we've gotten.
After WoD, they really shifted the zones to feeling like a theme park. The way zones existed prior was that they really tried to make them feel alive, big, and open.
Legion cram packed everything together and made sure every single place had a purpose. "That cave? That's for a world quest. That mountain? You go up there for a quest chain."
Nothing just... existed anymore it felt like, and I feel like the leveling experience felt more that way as well.
Every zone basically led up to telling one very specific story. It was all an on-rails experience with very little you could do out of order or very little side quests you could do just because.
Previous expansions gave you some options. "Here are 5 quest hubs in the zone each with their own individual story. You can do them in any order or not do them at all if you'd like."
Each zone in WoD did have a specific narrative that they were trying to tell, but it still felt like you were kinda just going around helping people. "I know I'm supposed to be dealing with the Iron Horde, but this village of Orcs out here needs help with their infestation problem. I'll go focus on them for a bit." Like there were things OUTSIDE of the main story line that you could do to level, and sometimes needed to do to level as the main story line wouldn't level you up enough to get to the next zone.
Shadowlands was so bad that my wife and I couldn't even hit max level. Or if we did, it wasn't memorable. I haven't even logged on in a long time, so I have no idea if I ever even did hit the level cap to be honest... LOL kinda sad that's the state of leveling in WoW.