So without seeming like a douchebag, because it's an honest question, how tedious and grindy does the game feel? Are the quests interesting, or is it more of the same "collect X items and kill X mobs" that we're used to?
I feel no grind. I'm only level 14, though. Take it with a grain of salt.
On top of the events and personal quests, you get experience from almost everything you do. Exploring, casually participating in events, finding POIs and Vistas, and gathering materials (mining, chopping, gathering) is all very relaxed. Completing all crafting professions will get you to level 80 alone, and the crafting experience isn't supposed to turn nominal unless you mass craft the same things (you're supposed to "discover" by mixing random compatible objects to get the best exp). Your level will scale but you'll always get experience and rewards similar to what you'd get in a similar-level area, so there is reason to explore all of the areas, even low-level ones. (Naturally killing higher levels yields better rewards.) The experience curve flattens out at level 30, so you're not spending twice the amount of time it took you to get from 1 to 30 to get from 30 to 31.
Honestly, I think this game would be right up your alley.