We just spent 5 nights/ 6 days at WDW 8/24-8/29. This was our first summer trip. We've been in October twice and April at least three times. The crowds in April are usually horrible, but the park hours are longer everywhere so you can come and go at all hours to suit your family needs. It's a little bit harder in August to manage to do all you want with the heat, the rain, the early park closings, etc. But having said all that....we would do it again.
The crowds were manageable and if you worked your "FastPass" plan you could really have some fun. My two older girls and I rode the Rock and Roll Rollercoaster at MGM 4 times in 2 hours one afternoon and in two previous trips the crowds were so awful we had never been on it. In the MK we did Buzz Lightyear so many times I lost count. My husband and 2 year old saw Pooh 3 times in one day and Space Mountain had only a 20 minute wait. The posted wait times were generally overestimated to our advantage.
We did manage to see the one and only Spectromagic and Fireworks display between 8/24 and 8/31 on our first night. And "e nights stopped" 8/23. But we took advantage of the fact that we could eat after the parks closed or at Epcot every night without feeling like we were missing something. And after we ate dinner we went to SAB or the Yacht Club quiet pool which was open 24 hours and we swam (including my 2 year old) some nights as late as 12am!
And getting priority seating for meals and/or changing them at the last minute was soooooo much easier than on our other trips. We almost got to do the Illuminations show from a boat when someone else backed out.....but lightening ruined our plans!
In stead of the park shows (we skipped Fantasmic) we opted for Cirque du Soleil which we all loved and went to "Hoop De Do" for the 4th time and had great seats at both. So there are some distinct advantages to going in August..... you just have to be prepared for everything, use tons of sunscreen, dress sensibly and drink plenty of water! Go for it.
