So far, I’d agree with you regarding not making standby lines worse. Yesterday at DCA, we virtually walked on all 5 rides we used LL. They basically stopped standby and let us right on then resumed everyone else. There weren’t very many people using LL so little effect on standby. Of course that will change as more people buy Genie+, but the 64K question is will standby go back to before times? Hard to say for certain since back then both MaxPass and free FP woukd have resulted in a higher number of people in FP lines and it remains to be seen what the Genie+ numbers will look like.This has always been the case. If the line builds to the outdoor queue then using FP and now LL was worth it.
What I am noticing more than anything is that LL and ILL at this point does not seem to make Stand By lines all that much longer.
Before with free Fastpass/MaxPass, this wasn't the case as more people were using the service. Not as much when you are asking people to pay.
If I was a betting woman, I’d say let’s not hold our breath. People may not like the no free option and may gripe about the cost (and it will go up), but I anticipate if they’ve made the decision to visit the parks, they will fork over the money. The notable exception likely to be locals who visit frequently. While those numbers are sizable, I think the less frequent visitors still make up a big enough chunk of people who will pay for the convenience of LL and it will negatively affect standby. This will feed on the perceived need for Genie+ thus fueling more purchases.