I disagree with each sentence in your post.
As you say, padding can't be judged objectively, but there are good reasons why people complain about FFVIIR. The story drags for the sole purpose of making it a longer game, and there are multiple examples that you can find back in this same thread. Extra content with a purpose is fine, but try to write the main point of FFVIIR story on paper and then write everything you do in the game down (for the main mission only). Hard not to see a mismatch.
The Witcher 3 is the worst example possible. You can't consider optional side-missions "padding". TW3 actually doest a magnificent job in creating extra content that still feels like part of the story and can affect the main one, although optional. Everything in that game has a purpose, be it character/world building or directly affecting the story.
No one here is saying you're wrong for enjoying the game, but I and many other who were disappointed are far from being boring and unimaginative just because we think differently.
I waited for this game for years and bought it full price on day one, playing it felt like a chore because of how it drags. It would have been an amazing shorter game.
The only way you can say the story drags is if you don't care about the extra characterization. A lot of people love these characters, I enjoyed every moment with them, so that can't be padding, to me. It shouldn't be considered padding by anyone, just say I don't care about the characters.
Moving on, people complain about the hallways, the slow walking and having to go through a dungeon to get somewhere. At the same time they praise the battle system.
Okay, fine, now let's take a look at how The Witcher 3 handles some of that. traversing Skellige is a nightmare. It is. If you complain about the skippable sidequests in FFVII Remake, you should also complain about the fucking question marks in the Witcher 3, because they serve the same purpose, a distraction to get you some extra stuff.
How is hunting those god damn question marks fulfilling and meaningful in anyway? Especially in Skellige? And then you are attacked constantly and have to fight battles in the awful battle system.
Seriously, if anyone says the battle system in The Witcher 3 is better, or even close to being as good as the one in the Remake they should be banned from ever having an opinion on video games.
As far as actual sidequests in The Witcher 3 go, yes, they are BETTER than the ones in FFVII Remake, but they serve a completely different purpose, and there isn't an actual equivalent to them in the remake. Like I said, those few sidequests we got in the Remake are more similar to the question marks on the various Witcher 3 maps. An let's not pretend like all of the sidequests in the Witcher 3 are masterpieces, but that's another topic entirely.
Unless you consider Hearts of Stone a sidequests, which is where the story of the entire game peaked.
Anyway, I'm going on a tangent, and am kind of forgetting what i wanted to say lol.
But the main point is that a lot of people treat the Remake unfairly, and don't give credit where it's due.
