I've noticed a lot of standard event items being recycled. This is nice in some respects, but kind of lazy in others. The stock from previous years being buffed up by other items is kind of cool.
Also the automation of the carnival events is kind of neat. A bit buggy, but there's progress there at least.
Also some nice menu adaptations - that new automatic swipe left on the inventory buttons is genius. The guild menus are a bit more streamlined (and funcitonal).
I'v also noticed definite direction in the art style. Some may not like it, but anything becoming defined is for the better imo. It should be applied to old tilesets (york & VIP need some love in a bad way).
Also the vision problems of the pirates seem to be solved - they are not all equipped with eyepatches anymore, which is nice. Baddy AI in general has seen some improvements, as well.
Lots of old friends gone, new friends arrived, and problems solved.