I know many fans felt like you two but personally I think it's great that we get the East and the Ironmen fleshed out; it all adds depth to the ASoIaF universe and overall storyline and you'll soon enough be reaquainted with the original cast in Dance of Dragons. And now when you do and hear of faraway places you'll have a much better understanding of the cities, characters and customs being mentioned. The reader is still following characters like Cercei, Arya, Sam, Jaime and Brienne, and personally I highly enjoy many of the new cast, like Aeron, Euron and Victarion Greyjoy and Prince Doran (where the princess and Aerys don't seem so well-rounded, imo, but they serve their purpose), and I find regions like Dorne, the Iron Islands and the Free Cities really fascinating. Each to his own, of course, I'm just impressed how many high quality cultures and characters George R. R. Martin can breathe life into, almost on a Silmarillion-esque scale and each in many ways more particularized than Tolkien's.
And apologies for off-topic but thread is derp.