Dave,

Welcome to FT.

Now to your questions. With very few exceptions, and none that are currently running that I'm aware of, special discount codes almost never work when one crosses the boarder into Canada.

Now that said, the AAA discount will indeed work on the Adirondack, since Amtrak operates that train all the way to Montreal. The Maple Leaf however is operated by VIA Rail once it crosses the boarder, so no AAA discount there.

As the holder of the AAA card you can buy up to 8 tickets for you and your friends in one sale. The discount will apply to everyone and they can just pay you back. Just select the number of passenger needed as you start the ticketing process, then on subsequent screens you can enter your friends names.

Now if cost is really an issue, the bus may well be the best way, although I can't help you out with that. However, if you want a real adventure and don't want to drive to Albany, consider taking Train #67 south from Boston to NY. You would leave Boston at 9:45 PM on Thursday night, and arrive into NY in the middle of the night. You'd have to cool your heals in the station for a few hours, but you would then be able to catch the Adirondack from New York City to Montreal.

You can reverse that coming home, taking train #66 north from NYC. Note: This will drive up the cost though, so it may not be an option. But driving to Albany will also require gas and parking expenses, so make sure to factor that into the equation too.