UPDATE:

President Donald Trump has canceled plans to spend the New Year's holiday at Mar-a-Lago. A source who had planned to attend the Mar-a-Lago New Year's Eve party said Friday Palm Beach was abuzz with members and guests talking about their own plans to bail on the Trump family's annual gala.

It's unclear whether Mar-a-Lago will let people wiggle out of their tickets at this late date. But evidently, some club members and guests have no interest in paying extra-high ticket prices if the president will not be in attendance.

People were willing to pay for the cachet if partying with the president, a source said. But with President Donald Trump staying in Washington, "people are bailing," the source said. "It's a lot of money (to spend) without his celebrity."

ORIGINAL STORY:

Mar-a-Lago this year hiked ticket prices for its annual New Year’s Eve bash, with guests paying $1,000 per person for the chance to party with the President Trump at his private Palm Beach club.

But with president vowing to stay in Washington during the government shutdown, Palm Beachers are starting to wonder.

Will Trump take a quick trip south to make an appearance and keep his Trump Organization customers happy? Or will he stay mindful of the optics of celebrating a lavish New Year’s Eve while thousands of federal workers go without a paycheck?

Trump in Palm Beach: President puts off visit to Mar-a-Lago, for now

So far, no Federal Aviation Administration alerts have been issued for late this week or early next week. Those flight restrictions advisories tend to be the first signal of an impending presidential visit. In addition, Mick Mulvaney, who is to serve as acting chief of staff, said Friday the president will stay in Washington through the New Year's holiday.

That is consistent with what the president said Dec. 22 when he tweeted that he "would not not be going to Florida because of the Shutdown - Staying in the White House!" And in recent days, Trump warned that the shutdown will last into 2019, even as he vows not to back down from demands that Congress approve $5 billion for his border wall.

EXCLUSIVE: Sources tell Post prices upped for Trump’s New Year’s Eve party

Meanwhile, in Palm Beach, club guests are starting to digest the fact that they may have forked over $2,400 per couple for New Year’s Eve, expecting to celebrate with the president.

It’s not an unreasonable expectation.

While Trump sometimes drops in at private events held at Mar-a-Lago’s ballrooms, he always attends the New Year’s Eve ball.

Members and guests eager for a moment with Trump know the best way to do so is at one of his private clubs. In Palm Beach, Trump can break free from the constraints of political handlers in Washington and mingle with club members, many of whom are business executives, and like Trump, part-time Palm Beach residents.

Some partygoers speculated that if Trump isn’t at the gala, it might not be so bad. After all, security is so stringent when he’s at Mar-a-Lago, entering the club is time-consuming and difficult.

In addition, there should be plenty of other luminaries in attendance, including Trump family members and Cabinet officials, such as Palm Beach resident and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, to make up for Trump’s absence.

Then again, maybe not.

“It’s his event,” one source said of Trump. “I think a lot of people will be upset if he’s not there.”

Club guests who paid $1,000 per ticket paid $250 more than last year, when the cost was $750. The previous year club guests paid $575 per ticket.

Ticket prices for dues-paying club members also rose for the Dec. 31 party, but they did not rise as much as guest tickets did, sources said. This year Mar-a-Lago members will pay $650 for New Year’s Eve tickets, sources said, up from $600 last year and $525 the year before.

Just two years ago, tickets for members and non-member guests were within $50 of each other.

The ticket prices don’t include a 20 percent gratuity and 7 percent tax, which can add another $270 to a $1,000 guest ticket.

Last year’s party featured some 800 guests, who entered the main ballroom on a red carpet. They dined from a menu that included “Trump Iceberg Wedge,” Maine lobster ravioli, sliced tenderloin, sea bass and for dessert, baked Alaska. Trump, Melania and Barron entered the ballroom around 9:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.

Before entering the gala, Trump paused on the red carpet to speak to reporters and predict a “fantastic 2018.” He singled out the tax bill he had signed in Washington before heading to Palm Beach. He also said of the stock market, “I think, is going to continue to go up.”

aclough@pbpost.com

@acloughpbp