I voted for the later time, though I can totally see all the pluses for the earlier dates, especially because of the marathon. We were there from the 7th-13th this year and really enjoyed F&W. The weather was perfect, and as I posted somewhere else, we were even there Friday the 10th and while yes, there were a lot of people, we never waited in a line more then 5-6 minutes. And we needed the time anyway just to digest the great food from the prior kiosk!!!! One consideration for us, though, is the weather and by that I mean not only letting another week go by to (hopefully) get past the hotter times, but also to remove yourself further from the hurricane season. Granted, it's unpredictable, I know that. But if I'm going to gamble on the weather, then I'll gamble on the later dates during this particular time of year, especially after this past hurricane season.