Options to taxi in New Orleans

So, I hear a taxi from the airport to Hilton Riverside hotel is roughly $40 one way. I'm not a cheapskate, but I'm so over over paying on taxis. Anyway, I think I read somewhere you can take a bus and then take the streetcar from the Tulane stop? Is this too much of a pain to do with luggage?

Taxi from Airport to Hilton is $33 for 1 or 2 people. Shuttles are $18 for one or $36 for 2.

Buses and streetcars are about impossible with more than one piece of luggage.

I have some question about transportation in New Orleans. We are flying for our cruise the day before departure and staying at the Renaissance New Orleans Pere Marquette Hotel. Is a taxi the best option? What is the approximate cost for four people? What about returning from the cruise port back to MSY?

Taxi is best. Rate is the same from airport to hotel or dock to airport, $33 for 1 or 2 people and $14 per person for 3 or 4.

How hard is it to get a taxi from the French Quarter hotels like the Wyndham or Hyatt? Do they take a while to summon are is there someplace where they wait?

Most times a cab are sitting outside of hotels.