My feeling is that I don't quite know what to feel. From a Continental Big Year standpoint, yes, I think Yve, Ruben & Victor will easily clear 750. But this is a different game now, and we don't even know the rules of the game. Yve will be the first birder to strategize Hawaii. Going there once (or twice, in Olaf's case) is different than what she'll be doing, and will likely be a starting point for Big Year birders in the future. Just the fact that she incorporated a Hawaiian pelagic (Juan Fernandez Petrel!) changes things.
Just as John, Olaf & Co. built off the experiences of Komito, Hayward, etc., the Hawaii component is a work in progress. Once we get an actual list birders will be able to strategize how best to pile up species. And good luck, ABA, with the whole code system, as that update alone would delay the heck out of the release. I'll be fascinated, I'm sure, when I first see the new list!
My gut feeling is that we'll end up keeping track of the 700 Club for Continental Big Year birders and the 800 Club for the New ABA. The kicker is that Hawaii is more economical than outer Alaska, with more birds, and, as Yve said, the chance to share a fun portion of your Big Year with your family.
I welcome other prognostications!
Joe