I think it has a lot to do with your age, whether you have kids and what type of atmosphere you enjoy. I've been to Portofino for apx. 35 nights total, 8 nights Royal Pacific, 6 nights Cabana Bay. If you are going during a time of moderate to busy crowds, you really need to do the three deluxes since the Express Pass makes a world of difference. My views: Portofino: By far the most luxurious & opulent. Huge rooms (450 to 490 sq. ft.), great ambiance, especially with numerous beautiful piazzas. It's very relaxing, quiet, and there generally are few children present. Best & most beautiful collection of pools (three) & slide at Universal. Excellent spa and very good restaurants, but they are basically Italian of course, which limits your food diversity. The quick service deli, Sal's, has some of the best Pizza & food you'll find anywhere. This is a great choice for older adults that prefer a quiet, laid back, relaxing resort.The walk to the parks is the longest of the deluxes, but it is also the most beautiful walk.....Hard Rock; Haven't stayed there because we're not really fans of hard rock music blaring 24/7 everywhere. But, we've visited it and it seems like an excellent resort, especially if you're a young couple or have teenagers. Shuckers' reasons to go there seem right on.....Royal Pacific: Real nice resort. Like the Hard Rock there's only one pool, but it's themed quite well. Rooms are also the size of Hard Rock rooms, (similar to WDW deluxes at 335 sq. ft). Interesting lobby and beautiful landscaping. In my opinion it has the best collection of restaurants at the Universal hotels. A great value is the Happy Hour at Emerils. You can get a great selection of appetizers for only $5 a selection. The walk to the parks is only about 8-10 minutes. The one thing we didn't care for is the rooms are very dated (we were there in Sept. 2014) and really need a refurbishment. The best value of the three deluxes. You'll save $60 to $100 a night by staying there.A really good family resort, lots of kids here.....Cabana Bay; A very big surprise to us. We really loved the resort. The major difference is no Express, but you can't really expect that for the prices you pay to stay there. This is a great choice for a vacation during the slow times of the year. Or if you have a long vacation, do as we did last fall, combine days at Cabana and finish up at one of the deluxe resorts. This resort is quite beautiful in the evening, especially the original pool area. Both pools are very good and so is the Lazy River, a big plus. The Bayliner Diner is ok, but it would have been nice to have a good sit down restaurant too. But once Sapphire Falls is finished, that problem will be solved, since it will be a very short walk to SF sit down restaurant. Bus transportation was excellent. We never waited more than 5 minutes for a bus either way. The walk way is open now, but that walk is long like Portofino's.....All in all, you will really enjoy the experience of staying on site at Universal. It makes a vacation relaxing & leisurely. No hassles & no planning needed. We park our car and usually never use it till the day we leave, unless we do a shopping trip. And of course, you can't beat the absolutely beautiful boat rides at the deluxes. And we enjoyed the walks along the paths, for a change of pace, also. The walkways are breathtaking.