You should be able to find a shaded area; as always, move quickly when looking. There are seating areas tucked far away from the big, central pool it you want quiet (near a giant, capsized boat, to the right of the pool), but I can't say if there was a lot of shade there or if it stays quiet past the morning.
As for tips, don't underestimate the wave pool! That thing is STRONG even closer to "shore". Also remember that the bottom of the pool is like sandpaper and if you go down in shallow enough water you're getting dragged on it.
I'd also suggest either grab a map or if you see a big map that looks clear, snap a picture, because a few of the big ones are very washed out and so the attraction numbers are hard to read.
The lazy river includes a couple of points where you're pretty much guaranteed to get sprayed with water. Just a heads up. I was caught by surprise because on the Blizzard Beach one you could easily manuever away.
And, as with all mugs, decide if you want a refillable cup before you go in, and get it early if you do. There's a Coke Freestyle machine next to Snack Shack (though it seemed to have a carbonation problem when I was there; hopefully that was just a bad day).
