Well, the best addition since the EXP progress bar beneath the health bar! I don't know how I coped without that; constantly checking to see how much EXP you need for the next level is a real pain. xD
Yeah...turning off encounters is a good way to push through the story, but it doesn't make the bosses any easier unfortunately. The game could have done with enemies that scaled with your level, much like FFVIII had. You just gotta push through it and spend an hour or so grinding until your eyeballs bleed! Well, metaphorically speaking. xD