I asked the beautiful people at FFG and here's the verdict:
 
"There was definitely supposed to be a bridge over the water hex that is highlighted in red. I’ll be sure to enter it in to fix for a reprint, but for now go ahead and play as you like; either by placing a bridge there or using your ford placement in that hex. "
 
Derrick Fuchs
Game Producer Fantasy Flight Game   Thanks for the quick reply, Derrick!  

In my personal opinion I like the dragon best since it sets up some interesting questions for the opponent:
Do I go archers and mages to take down the dragon or do I get some cavalry to try to get to the dragon hoard? (like the command tent but with 3 vp, you have to deploy it on the dragon's deployment field as a balancing factor for its power)
Do I really want that command tent since the dragon can easily fly there?
And of course WHERE IS THE BEAST DEPLOYING?
 
One thing I should note is that I think that it's kind of odd that you can game the dragon's-hoard-as-nerf by deploying him on a waterfield. The dragon's hoard isn't spawned then. In my personal experience that actually makes the dragon a tad TOO powerful. 
 
PS: I feel like the fun about the reinforcement packs is grounded in the fact that all those neutrals offer slightly more bang for your gold than your regular units. The downside being of course that your opponent knows you are going to utilize them and can prepare countermeasures.