Yeah I think the gameplay of a class changing can be very worrying as well, even if the skill bloat doesn't increase.
With HW, I personally found the changes all to be enjoyable and enganging, but we'll see where it goes in the future.

As for how to handle skills - your skillbinds would make me crazy xD
I just have my main rotation on 1-´ (the numbers row, German keyboard) as well as Ctrl + 1-´, where I actually use my thumb to press Crtl (so I guess using Alt would actually make it easier..?xD).
I play with both hands though, so hitting Crtl + 5 and upwards can be done with the right hand.
The third hotbar is just stances, rarely-used OGC abilities and skills I just need for leveling roulette because they get replaced on higher level (like on WHM, Stone I and II) as well as PvP abilities, and I just click them with the mouse in the rare occasion that I need them.
Even if we got more skills, that set-up wouldn't change, although if the active main rotation skills increased, I'd bind the third hotbar to Alt + 1-´, and add a fourth one for the rarely-used clickable skills^^