So I ask again, did the protesters just steal a car?

I would say the very second passenger car traffic exceeds the environmental impact of the cruise industry. How much environmental damage does Carnival Cruise Lines do compared to all the highway traffic in the United States? We're talking an entirely recreational industry here, if all cruise ships disappeared tomorrow society would keep right on rolling. Cases of norovirus would decrease.

You want passenger rail to increase in the United States? Great. Let's start with Amtrak's website. I live within walking distance of an active Amtrak station. Several times in my life I've had a want or need to travel cross country, and it occurred to me "I wonder if I could take the train." The answer, inevitably, is no. I go to Amtrak's website, pick a starting station and a destination station, and usually they outright can't plan a trip between those locations. Not even capable of saying things like "take the Silver Star to Grand Central station in New York, wait 8 hours, then take the Lake Shore Limited to Chicago." It proved to be less work on my part to drive, fly as a passenger on an airliner, and fly as pilot of a Cessna, than take the train in this country.

And what part of that is my personal fault?

The difference between a traffic jam and protestors blocking traffic is intent.

I take it none of you passed high school civics?