Did the characters have any way of knowing that their companion was about to come down with something nasty? If not then buffing for the saving throw would be meta-gaming. If they do, the GM probably should have allowed it IMO.
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As a GM, I don't tell them they "caught a disease" until after the save is failed.
Sure, some players know that certain critters can give them a disease and they can predict that they'll need a save in a day or so, but mostly my players would ignore than unless they have a reason for their character to know about it - if a character makes a knowledge check or has prior experience with the monster or even if there is something apparent about the monster that makes it look diseased, then it makes sense for a character to worry about disease and take precautions.
If none of that exists, as a GM, I would advise a metagaming player that metagaming is uncool and ask him to try to keep his play in-character - this would also give him a chance to explain to me why he thinks his character should know he's infected.
The DM did not allow this.
The DM also denied him that.
Whats the real ruling?
What the DM said. That's always the "real" ruling.
I usually wait 24 hours/day of onset time but the exact time only matters if the character is aware they're on the clock so to speak. If the character is unaware I'll just deal with the situation sometime in the next game day when it's convenient.
As for meta-gaming, in my opinion it's actually as much your responsibility as a player to avoid it as it is the GM's. For example, most players know that piercing weapons are less effective against skeletons. That doesn't mean your character does if they've never run up against one before. As a player (especially a low levels) if the GM tells me that I see a skeletal figure shambling towards me out of the darkness my first action is to make an appropriate knowledge check (religion for undead), not drop my bow and draw a mace. As a GM I'll quite often give players information that their characters wouldn't know. It's a roleplaying opportunity for them and one less thing I have to track myself.
Sorry if that came off as a bit of a rant. I was just trying to espouse my gaming philosophy, not to lecture anyone :-)
Your GM was 100% correct. It's an easy mistake to misunderstand what the onset period means. Once you come in contact with a disease, you immediately make a save. However, fail the effects do not manifest until after the onset period is complete.
Onset: Some afflictions have a variable amount of time before they set in. Creatures that come in contact with an affliction with an onset time must make a saving throw immediately. Success means that the affliction is avoided and no further saving throws must be made. Failure means that the creature has contracted the affliction and must begin making additional saves after the onset period has elapsed. The affliction's effect does not occur until after the onset period has elapsed and then only if further saving throws are failed.
Edit: although borrowing a cloak of resistance would help against secondary saves, it wouldn't help against contracting diseases in the first place.
Resistance spell due to its limited duration would be practically impossible though.