Ian Cowan -- remember the First Release program is just that -- first release. It's Microsoft's way of getting the community involved in their products and helping to shape the direction and gain feedback for the future. You shouldn't be shaping your business decisions and rollouts on a first release product (that said, I may have done so a time or two) as they are many times not quite ready for primetime, nor are they advertised to be production-ready (they've stated quite the opposite).
All that said, I feel your pain as I've been in the same situation. Fortunately, however, Communication Sites are VERY far along as far as production quality (so much so that I only have a single complaint and haven't experienced any bugs yet). They're fast and easy to setup, and once you get them, after you take a tour, you'll be on your way in no time.