I would argue that it makes it feel a bit smaller because places I enjoy going to are so out of the way. Example: every major city has an AH, but as a Tauren I liked going to Thunderbluff for the aesthetics. In MoP, and when MoP had those portals, I could choose to go to Thunderbluff to use that AH. Now, I would have to go to Orgrimmar and fly out to Thunderbluff to visit that. Why not just use Orgrimmar’s instead?
I have no reason to go to those other cities outside of aesthetics, and now it’s more of a pain to reach those locations for me to enjoy them. Less portals means Orgrimmar/Stormwind will just be the convenient choice to visit and we will have no reason to see the other cities. It’ll be too much of a pain to fly/pay a Mage to get in Thunderbluff what I can just get in Orgrimmar.