I don't think he is saying it sucks, just that he doesn't enjoy it as much as he used too. I can see that point of view. To me, it feels like they have been in the village for a long time. They haven't been on the road for a while. When they are on the road, the main threat seems to be zombies, whereas when they are domiciled, the threats are other humans, which makes sense in a post apocalyptic environment. I kind of agree that having a pet tiger seems a bit fantastic.
As far as character development - Carl has changed a lot over the past 20 issues or so. So has Rick's relationship with Andrea.