User blog comment:ILuvAnime/Fairy Tail continue after episode 175/@comment-62.140.137.102-20131127095509/@comment-7418318-20131128140924

I don't think the hiatus was planed that far ahead. While I'm sure it was known to the team a few month in advance, the stop of the anime still had a rather rushed feel to it.

Probably the best place for a split would have been after the GMG arc ended and before the next one started, but they'd have run out of manga chapters to animate before then I guess.

With the way the upcoming content is liked and woven together, just waiting until after the 7th July (in-story) wasn't really an option either, though I won't say anything beyond that for the anime-only watchers.

Considering those two points, I think they actually picked a good moment for the hiatus. Even the manga took a short breather at that point with "The Exciting Ryuuzetsuland" and Gildart's "A Solitary Journey" putting the actual story on pause for two chapters, so to say.