If you want to use the SIM from your older iPhone (if you can't get helpful support or they're closed for the night like when I tried, or the automated system doesn't work for you) then you can switch your SIM from the old phone.
Some people have been getting the automated support on Verizon to work, but Verizon didn't know I have a new phone until *after* I did the stuff below.
If you did the auto-setup of the new phone from the old phone, it creates an eSIM setup for you, but it's failing in porting the line to the eSIM on the carrier side.
If you go to Settings/Cellular and remove the eSIM line from your phone by clicking the line and clicking "Remove This Line" (you'll get a notice it'll delete the line but not cancel your subscription), restart the phone (this might not be necessary, but still probably a good idea) and then put the SIM from the old phone into the new. As long as you canceled the partially-activate eSIM setup of the new line, it'll see the physical SIM as the primary line and it should function instantly.
A few minutes later I got an automated text from Verizon which does the same thing the automated system does. Don't follow the link. If you put the SIM in, the automated activation line then tries to use your existing iPhone 13 to activate a previous phone.
As long as when you put in the SIM you get the LTE or 5G bars, you're up and running.