They were excluded from the general public's discount offer that was in place when we went in October 2012. (In fact, the "fine print" of the offer excluded the royal rooms and required anyone who wanted the discount to upgrade to a garden room or better, which meant that if you had booked a standard room, like we did, you only saved about $20 per night with the discount - although in exchange we acquired a "garden view," which we really would have enjoyed, had we spent any appreciable time staring blankly out of our windows! ).
I'm sure the "fine print" will vary from offer to offer, however. Keep checking!
Last year I was able to book a Royal Room with the fall room only discount.. Was able to get free dining at POFQ a few weeks later so I ended up switching. But they were included in that set of promos.
It's all based on availabilty. They usually aren't excluded from the offer, but they go fast b/c they are in high demand, especially with a discount offer.