It’s Memorial Day, which means several theme parks have raised their ticket prices. But don’t let that put a damper on your plans. Here are several ways to control the cost of a theme park visit.

Tickets

It’s usually cheaper to buy tickets online than at the gate. Printing tickets at home also means less time wasted at the park waiting to buy tickets.

You’ll pay premium prices for one-day tickets, making multiday tickets a better deal. Universal Orlando’s one-day ticket for both of its parks runs $136, but a four-day park-to-park pass is $195.99 – just $49 a day.

At some parks, a season pass will pay for itself in two visits. At Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles, you can trade a single-day general admission ticket for a pass good for the rest of the year at no additional charge.

Sign up for park email newsletters, which often include exclusive deals, and look for savings on sites such as groupon.com. Check park websites such as disneyworld.com for special offers and planning guides.

Christopher Elliott, a National Geographic travel expert and author of “How to Be the World’s Smartest Traveler,” says “a lot of travel agents – particularly AAA agents – have some really great deals not available online.”

Some parks reduce prices during off-peak hours, like weekdays or late afternoons and evenings. Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, offers cheaper “Starlight Tickets” between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m., a great option for teenagers. Lines are shorter too.

Check with your employer, union, university and other groups to see if they have access to park deals. Many parks also offer discounts to members of the military. For Costco’s theme park discounts, visit costco.com/theme-parks.html. For AAA offers, click on “Entertainment and Attractions” at AAA.com/searchfordiscounts.

Some parks partner with stores or products. Look for Six Flags coupons on Coke cans or enter the promo code “coke” if you’re buying Six Flags tickets on Sixflags.com.

Food and drink

Some parks let you bring in food and drinks. You always can bring a collapsible water bottle and fill it from a fountain.

If you’re not parked too far away, plan a tailgate picnic at mealtime.

At Walt Disney World in Florida, guests can bring a small cooler – no bigger than 24 inches long by 15 inches wide by 18 inches high – as long as it’s not on wheels and doesn’t contain glass bottles or alcohol. Rent a locker if you don’t want to carry it all day.

If you don’t mind sharing, the supersized drink is always a better deal than small cups. Some parks offer large souvenir cups with free refills.

Parking

If you’re flying to Orlando or California and plan a multiday visit to Disney or Universal, consider the cost of car rentals, gas and parking when pricing hotels. Even if rooms are cheaper away from the park, you might save money (and time) staying at a park-run hotel with free shuttles to and from the park. Packages at park-run properties might include other incentives, such as meal discounts and extra hours at the park. Elliott notes that “time is money” at a theme park.

FILE – In this May 16, 2014 file photo, Disney castmembers test the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train roller coaster in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The ride will be open to park guests on May 28. Theme park visits can be expensive, but there are many ways to save money, from buying tickets online to using coupons to bringing your own sunscreen and rain ponchos so you don?t have to buy them in the park. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

John Raoux